Stars and Strings
by Sei Honou
Summary: ...And let's tie these dreams to the sky, shall we? Chapter 16: Maybe this time, she was going to get it right.
1. Best Friend

-insert disclaimer here-

Author's Ramble: Well, howdy! T'is been a while since I last wrote something.

Behold! Sei Honou's current project: _Stars and Strings_. A collection of High School one-shots and drabbles that... seem to come to me like stinging bees. I dunno when it'll end, (probably when I graduate) so expect more pieces coming in. :)

So here we go! I hope you'll enjoy the fics.

-end author's ramble-

You'll find the first two pieces quite familiar because they're very much in the same AU as _As I See_.

Drabbly, teenage angst. You've been warned.

* * *

**Best Friend**

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.

There are times when my best buddies' emotions matter more than my own. After all, I'm the toughest one. Just like tempered glass. I'm the one whose supposed to defend the four of them.

'Course Xiao agrees. Jules agrees. Lili... begs to differ. And Chris... she would just smile.

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.

There are times when my best buddies' feelings matter more than my own. After all, I'm the strongest. I am Venus and Heracles rolled into one. Not only am I amazingly strong, I'm really cute, too!

'Course Xiao agrees. Jules would think of another Greek god or goddess to twist my statement. Lili would shake her head in disapproval. And Chris... she would just smile.

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.

There are times when my best buddies' lives matter more than my own. After all, I'm the savior. I wouldn't mind stepping into a pit of fire and battle some purple devil if it means I'm saving my friends.

'Cours Xiao agrees. Jules would try to digress and think of an even better topic than my heroic exploits and yada yada. Lili would raise an eyebrow at me. And Chris... she would just smile, like she always does.

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.

During that one recess time, a word spread like a wild fire. The whole world suddenly fell quiet. Everything stood still.

Linked little fingers. _He_ and Christie were walking in the cafeteria, their little fingers linked to each other.

Me, Xiao, Jules an' Lili were a bit behind from them, keeping distance since they _were_ a couple.

One of us has fallen. Unfortunately.

In a way or two, I feel genuinely happy for my best friend. C'mon. She's in love with _him _since we were in sixth grade.

'Course I feel happy for her. Yeah, I'm not really the one whose vocal and gets perfect grades in Expression conveying 101. Not that we have that subject in high school, but what the heck. I've never seen Chris so happy before.

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.

_You're invincible, Asuka. _

Right.

_You're a superhuman._

Is that the case?

_You told me before that you hate guys, right?_

Yeah, I did.

_You're my bestest friend, Asuka!_

Is that so?

_I love him so much, Asuka. I hope he's okay._

_He's so charming and sweet and lovable and oh so romantic. _

_He's the one for me. I'm sure of it!_

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too. It throbs. It stings. It bleeds. **To. No. End. At. All. **

Just because I'm superhuman... doesn't mean that I don't get hurt too.

_You're my bestest friend, Asuka!_

An' so I won't let _some guy_ get in the way of our friendship. I swear. I won't let my emotions get the best of me. I'm not a whore. I'm a steel-fisted lady who's ready to drill her knuckles on the face of _any guy _who breaks her friends' hearts.

Come on. Freaking break my heart, but don't fucking hurt my best friend.

**...I'm a pretty good liar. **

Christie lets go of _him _for a moment to buy a snack. Xiao waves at _him. _I grin. He's walking towards us. Julia takes hold of my hand. She whispered to me, "You're our Asuka. You're strong. No matter what."

And that's our Jules. Always backing us up whenever needed. I could use some of her spirits now.

"Hello, ladies."

Xiao, Lili and Jules smiled at him. I remained pallid, fighting back the selfish green monster inside me. Best friends, I repeated like a Buddhist . **Best friends**.

"Take care of her, superstar. Break her heart, I'll break your neck."

Steve smiled at me. He gave my head a gentle pat. "You're a good friend, Asuka."

Am I? Am I really that good? I felt Julia's grip on my hand tighten. I turn to her. She nods.

So I face _him _once more, smiling. "Make her happy."

And it's like you're making _me_ happy as well.

Christie's my best friend, after all.

When _he _and Christie were far behind the four of us, Julia smiled at me. "Asuka, this time, we'll be the one to protect you."

"No need, Jules. I'm impenetrable. Unstoppable."

I'll take the needles without the cushion. I'll take the fall without the parachute. I'll dive without the vest. I'll take the hit without the guard. I'm a superhuman. There are times when my best buddies' feelings matter more than my own. I'm with them because I'm the most powerful. I'm the shield. I'm the sword.

She gives me a skeptic look. "Really now? Okay then. But we'll still be here for you."

"Thanks," I mutter, grinning.

It hurts being such a giver. It hurts when you're such a good friend, too.


	2. Strength

-insert disclaimer-

* * *

**Strength**

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.

I open my eyes and see the reality. It bites, honestly. I was favored because I had the skill to comprehend everything written on the white board. She had the strength of a thousand suns enough to make the whole class smile.

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.

Yes, it's true. She would fail every Chemistry and Math exam thrown at her, but despite the red D encircled on her test papers, she would grin and give me a thumbs up. _Thanks for the help, Jules!_

She would still give me this choking hug that I can feel my breasts popping out of my body and three noogies in a row.

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.

She would smile. Defend us with her all. Humiliate the guys who challenge her to a fight. Fail even History and TLE. Her heart would get broken, but she'll still manage to glue all the fragile pieces together again...

She would still grin and laugh despite the awful truth that her heart was broken again. I ask myself sometimes what's wrong with her. If failing really felt that good, then I should give it a try.

I forgot that it wasn't like her to show her true emotions. She'd never let it get the best of her. She'd never cry. _Never. _

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.

_Oh? But you're pretty strong too, Jules! You've got enough gigabytes in your head master all of those tedious formulas. _

Right...

_'Course you are, Arizona! No one else has the guts to twist Hwoarang's point of view about how Alkenes and Alkynes are just two exactly the same groups of Hydrocarbons!_

Well... they really are different since... Never mind.

_You're really smart, Jules. I sure wish I had the same kind of knowledge just like yours._

...And I wish I had at least a bit of your strength, Asuka. I'll be needing it right now.

"Ayo, Arizona!" She greeted me cheerfully, an arm radically swishing left and right in the air like a windshield wiper. She didn't look heartbroken at all. In fact, she looked kinda happy. Scrap that. Asuka is _always _happy. She's jogging towards me now. I can feel that the spirits kind of like the energy streaming around her.

"Asuka... I have to tell you something," I said directly.

"Ne? What is it? Did I fail another exam?" She got hold of my shoulders and began shaking me. "Talk to me, Arizona!"

"No! No... You didn't fail any exam, Asuka," I raised my arms to grab hold of her own shoulders. It's always Xiao who physically restrains Asuka whenever she's this high on sugar and sucrose.

"Oh," A blank expression occupied her face. Three seconds later... "But you sounded so serious back there!"

And because of that, I received a hearty slap on the back. I suddenly feel like my left lung got dislocated or something...

"Well, what is it you wanna tell me, Arizona?"

Somewhere in my heart, the little green monster was whispering, chanting repeatedly. _I hope you'll fall weak. I really hope you'll fall weak. _

"You see..." I began, only to be cut short.

"So I _really did _fail an exam, didn't I?! Arizona, you just had to be completely honest with me! I don't mind it all!"

"No," I said, steel in my voice. "Listen to me, Asuka."

This time, she was all ears. I find myself staring straightaway into her hazel eyes. I was searching for something. Where does she get all of her strength? Where?

And slowly, I can feel that she was searching for something in me, too. She stared back at the same hazel eyes, only to be met by my words.

"Asuka, I like Steve."

I can still hear the green, beady-eyed monster chanting. Unfortunately, he had no green hat with a shamrock poking out on it. _I hope you fall weak. Anything to bring you down. _

Asuka blinked for a few seconds. "Oh," she said. "That's it?"

The green monster stopped chanting. I looked back at her again. I felt my heart stop.

"Arizona, is that the thing you were going to tell me?" She asked me, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Well, yeah..." I started. "I mean... I know that you like him too and that you're still recovering from your wounded heart and two failures in Chem and Math and that you're turning sixteen soon–"

I was cut off when Asuka suddenly flicked her finger at forehead. Painfully.

"Jules, I don't _own _Steve. Why the heck are you telling that to me?"

"I...I just..." I rubbed my forehead. Why didn't I wear my head piece today? _WHY?..._

"Listen to me, Arizona," It was her turn to talk. She was still... indifferent. "I like Steve, too. Looks like we've got neat tastes in boys."

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.

"Look. I won't let just _any guy _get in between us! I've made a vow and I intend on keeping it! I know that you told this to me because in fear that we might... you know... But listen to me, Julia. I won't let any guy tear us apart," she held my hand. "And I hope that you'll do the same for me."

She didn't call me Jules or Arizona. She called me Julia.

She made her way back to the classroom. Looks like recess was over. "So quit yer yapping about guys and let's get back to the classroom! I forgot to tell you that Mina has your notes."

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to. Just as I expected. Not even I can bring her down.

"And did ya hear that Yunsung and Hwoarang got in trouble for fighting with the other class' Axel and Reno? Those guys just don't know when to stop, do they?"

She's still smiling. I don't know and I can never tell how she truly feels... But I'm lucky to have a friend like her.

"And did ya know that the administrators accidentally mixed up Alexandersson and Strife's records?! Talk about unlucky!"

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to. She's just too strong for me.

"And here's one more thing! Tifa Lockhart challenged me to an arm wrestling competition! You think I'll win? I heard she's got a really good arm!"

_You'll win, Asuka. I trust you. _

She's one friend I'll treasure for the rest of my life.

It's because she had her strength to believe in. I only had the intelligence to look forward to.


	3. Obsession

-insert disclaimer-

Your reviews filled me with encouragement. Thank you so much! So I have a double for you guys! Thanks again! :)

* * *

**Obsession**

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

Although she struggled to get the words right, straighted her pen and posture just to get back at writing, she still felt woozy. The vertigo she experienced only occurs whenever this lethal drug comes walking and sits down next to her.

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

No amount of rehabilitation can cure her. The thing this fatal drug does to her was simply queer.

Oh, the drug. It– _He _stood almost six feet, had hair the color of the rising sun's rays of sunshine, had eyes the color of oak and nuts, and a voice that sent chills down her spine.

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

What was it? It kept her awake and asleep at the same time. Thinking about what _he_ was thinking about was such a potent drug. It was enough to drive her loony. Enough to push her to the brink of insanity. She'd do just about anything to to get into his mind. To read his thoughts.

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

He was the embodiment of drugs. At least, to her. In fact, he was much deadlier than all the potential drugs ever combined. Enough to make her feel blissful, elated, delirious and sorrowful. She didn't know where she went wrong and it led her to this unhealthy addiction.

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

Once again, she froze. Let the intoxication and elation seep in her system, down to her very core.

"Lili? Is something wrong?"

She narrowed her eyes at her so-called drugs and looked away. "What do you want?"

"Well, I'm simply asking if you're feeling all right because you look so red."

"Well," she said haughtily, turning back to face him. "I'm completely fine."

It was just minutes until dismissal time. She was so poised, seated behind the room, the lovely and unnoticed little bunny. Why did he suddenly have to come up and ruin such a perfect moment of peace and tranquility she was saving for herself? She needed something to snap her out of the drug dependency.

"Hey yo, Hwoarang!" A fellow red-haired Korean called _his _attention.

_Yun-Seong, you're a savior,_ Lili stuck a mental Post-It note on her head to show gratitude to the brawny Korean when she's given a moment.

Hwoarang raised his arm. "Whaddup?"

"C'mere, man! There's a fist fight in progress at the common hall!" Steve popped in the classroom all of a sudden.

"Oh, sweet!" Hwoarang exclaimed. He turned to Lili and dropped his phone on her desk. "Can ya hold onto that 'til dismissal? Be back for it before ya leave."

The Korean left with his short-haired buddy Yunsung and Steve to go to the common hall, leaving Lili to stare at the blue and black Nokia Xpress Music phone owned by Hwoarang.

A thought came into her head.

She bit the corner of her lip at that thought.

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction. And it's the only way she can get into his head without staring into his woody brown eyes and losing herself.

_May I have a look on what makes you tick?_

She held the phone in her hands, navigating through the various menus it held. She checked his inbox, surprised to see it bare, as well as the sent items and saved items.

_It seems that... I really can't read your mind._

She clicked away and headed to his gallery and media files. He was quite rock and alternative-addicted and a fond listener of emo songs. She found two separated music folders. One was named _"Rock"_ and the other was named _"Undefined"._ She browsed the _"Undefined"_ folder and saw it full of songs by Yellowcard, FM Static, Secondhand Serenade and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The _"Rock"_ folder had songs by Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Simple Plan, Linkin Park and more rock. And surprisingly, she found some songs in the various music folder by Taylor Swift and the Japanese singer Rie Tanaka.

_It's true. He _is_ extraordinary. He has such a... fascinating taste in music._

She now made her way to his pictures and image files. She found two folders yet again, one named _"Obsession"_, which piqued her attention.

_Obsession? Must be a lot of naked ladies in this folder. _

But the content of the folder made her stop dead. There were a hundred and thirty-three images in that folder, and each and every single photo in folder was _Lili_.

Because it's... you guessed right. It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

She scanned the whole folder left and right, up and down and found the contents all the same.

_Her._

In their school uniform, in their Phys. Ed. Uniform, with a ribbon in her hair, with a sparkly headband, with a smile on her face, with a scowl, a frown, a giggle, tying a knot, tying her shoelaces, raising her hand, debating with Asuka, reciting a prayer... And so many captured moments that she wasn't even aware of.

She sighed and closed the folders, locking the keypad.

_It looks like... I'm not the only one with the deadly addiction._

The bell rang, signifying dismissal time. The two Koreans came back in the room with Steve walking behind them. Lili quickly grabbed her school bag and made her way to the door, shoving the phone in Hwoarang's hands.

"Hey–!"

"I saved my number," she said before hastily running out of the room, brought along by the tidal wave and rush of students anxious to get to their respective homes. Hwoarang could only scratch his head.

"Dang. She must've seen my... _collection._"

He shrugged and whistled, slinging his backpack on his shoulders. He began to tap at the keypad of his phone.

Inside a certain white stretch limousine, a cellular phone was ringing. Lili couldn't help but unconsciously smile. Somehow, the addiction sort of faded away, and so did the obsession. Although he was still a very potent drug she wouldn't think twice before taking in. She brought the pink Motorola Razor to her ear and spoke in her most regal voice.

"Hello?"

It's an obsession. It's a deadly addiction.

* * *

Author's Ramble: And so please feel free to fill me in on what kind of music you think our favorite characters listen to. If you read above, the music Hwoarang has were quite farfetched. I'd really appreciate a correction. :)


	4. Tears

-insert disclaimer-

Warning: **Angst**. Strong angst.

...that's what I think, though. More of ramble than actual prose.

Originally, this was supposed to be an independent one-shot, but since the AU is the same as all the one-shots in the collection, I just stuck it here.

Now playing: _Invisible _and _White Horse_ by Taylor Swift.

* * *

**Tears**

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Yesterday_, I lost grip of the string of my emotions. The ribbon whiplashed. Before, it was a undimmed pink color. As I lost hold of it, it slowly and uneasily turned into a dull crimson. The thread was far beyond my reach. It was flying straight into the Pacific sky, blown away by the confusion, hurt and contempt.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Yesterday_, while the rest of my group was busy preparing for the dinner cooking show, I plopped down onto a monoblock and inadvertently let go of the ribbon tied tightly all over my heart. It flew away, and I didn't even bother to get it back.

Tears fell from my eyes for all I knew. I found myself in the arms of Seong-Mina.

"I-It hurts, Mina! It... It really hurts!!"

Her voice was soothing and understanding. "It's all right, Xiao. It's all right. Is this about Steve again? Was he teasing you again?"

Speak of the devil, Steve, Jin, Hwoarang, Yun-Seong and Kilik sat around Mina and I. My heart was beating four times faster knowing that _he _was there.

And... It kinda hurt... Scratch that. It _does_ hurt. It _does_ hurt... knowing that _he_ _doesn't know_ that _he's_ the one _hurting me_.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

I kicked the leg of the monoblock Jin was seated on. I kicked it back far, just enough to shove him away. Mina gave the guys a reproachful look.

"We're in the middle of a _girl talk_, guys."

"We're just concerned at what happened to little Xiao," Hwoarang said, sitting back comfortably on another monoblock in front of Mina. "What happened, Xiao?"

Mina sighed. "She knows that you're concerned, guys. She's just... not that ready to tell you."

You know, Mina always has plugs to every nook and cranny. The guys retreated to a spot a few seats away from where Mina and I were seated.

"Where were we?" she said. "Right. What hurts, Xiao?"

"M-Mina... I... I just love him so much..." I paused for a sec. "Do you know who he is?"

"Is it..." she pointed her chin to where Jin was seated a while ago. "_Him_?"

I nodded. She's really so sharp. Mina is so lovely, so kind and open and approachable. She has all the answers to every question I was asking myself. And I...

"How long has this been going?"

"Since our sophomore year..." I said softly. Mina broke into a smile.

"Oh my gosh... _She's in love_..."

I was looking for the right words to tell her. Not only that, I was trying to relocate my missing string of emotions. Without it with me, it's gonna get really hard trying to control how I feel.

"I'm so envious of you, Xiao," Mina began, rubbing my back. "When you love someone, you give your whole self to him. You love him with your everything. I mean, look at me. I've had, like, three boyfriends in a year. Now what's that like?"

I smoothed out my skirt and drummed with my hands. Mina had so much to teach me and so much to tell me and so much to advise me. She really had such a big upper hand when it comes to _love. _

_Love..._

"You're gonna grow while you love, Xiao. I'm sure of it."

Am I really gonna grow?

_Yesterday_, I was washing dishes there at the hidden sink. It was located behind the grade school teachers' faculty. Our group has successfully finished the Technology and Livelihood Education exam. Culinary arts.

"I'll go and wash these dirty dishes, okay?" I told Jules and Rinoa, smiling warmly. I rushed away, walking briskly, hearing Jin's voice calling at me to wait for him. Not that I cared.

The cold water ran down my forearms as I washed the dirty casserole Julia used to cook pasta, along with a few plates brought by Rinoa. I kept on washing, lost in thought.

"Hey."

I looked up and saw Jin standing there, carrying another pile of dirty plates and bowls. He placed it on the sink. He's gonna bug me in three... two...

"Why're you crying back there, Xiao?" He asked me. I'm gonna ignore him. I'm gonna ignore him and ignore him to death.

I can't ignore him!

"Hey," he poked at me.

I turned to him sharply, my pigtailed black hair swishing to the sides. "Why are you curious?"

"I just... I'm concerned. Does this have something to do with Steve?"

I shook my head. Steve has nothing to do with this. He looked at what I was doing, and he slowly looked at me. He threw another question at me.

"Does it have... something to do with me?"

I went on with the washing, trying to dismiss the question, but my mouth betrayed me. "What if you _do_ have something to do with it?"

This **is** your fault.

My other group mates came and brought another batch of filthy plates. What a life saver. I couldn't ask for a better ending. I hoped and prayed that Jin would forget what I just said and hoped and prayed that he'd get the point of what I was... trying to tell him. But I can tell that he can't read through me. He's so dense.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Yesterday_, Hwoarang talked to me on our vacant period. He knew and he was so sure that I was going to open up to him. Why is that? Because we've known each other since our freshman year. He's been a secret sanctuary and refuge for me because he _knows _me. He took a vacant seat beside me and resumed copying some of Steve's notes in History. "Is this about Steve again?"

Dammit with all the Steve questions! "No. It's not... Steve."

"Who is it, then?"

"I..." I wasn't prepared to tell him. For all I knew, Hwoarang shoved and pushed me at Steve because he thinks we're _cute_. Juts when I thought that he knew me so well.

"It's Jin," he mumbled. "Right?"

I sniffed. Then I found my hands covering my face. I was sobbing. Scratch that again. I was _crying. _My tears betrayed me, just like my mouth.

"It... freaking hurts..."

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Yesterday_, when I told my classmates that I was just gonna look for my missing ballpen cap (that Jin lost), Yun-Seong gave Jin an upright slap on the head and told him to go with me and help me look for my pen cap. I was running. Running away. Warm tears fell from my eyes as I sobbed, tripping and almost falling off the staircase. Jin was running after me. He was right behind me.

I searched desperately for the pink string. It was a part of me and I can't bear to lose it. That string was my feelings. I held it so close to me, so tight and so strong and I believed that I had full control of it.

It's pretty strange how you can **break down **at your **strongest point**.

"Xiao, can you _please _tell me what's wrong? You told me that I was the reason why you're crying all the time. Can't you at least tell me?"

I turned to him, biting my lip, tears rolling down my cheeks. My voice was quavering and pitchy. "You don't know?"

"Well, how should I know? Every time I try to ask you, you end up crying! Just like now!"

...He is so dense.

"I..." I opened my mouth to finally tell him, but a bald head poked in the door. It was Rude.

"Something wrong?"

No, I didn't find the pen cap. But I thought I saw my ribbon tied around Jin's wrist. It was an illusionary, metaphorical little ribbon that embodied my emotions. No wonder I couldn't control it. It was with _him. _

When we all got back in the classroom, I found him hanging around Asuka, Julia, Lili and Christie. Oh, I know what he was doing with my friends. He was asking them what he did wrong. He couldn't muster up the courage to ask me again because he knew that I'd end up in tears. _Again_.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Today_, Jin finally understood what I mean when I said _it's all his fault. _

I sat beside him, bending in my seat, warm and stubborn tears still falling from my eyes just like yesterday. "Will you please tell me what I did wrong?"

"Jin, I..." I took a deep breath and wiped my tears away. "I... Oh, cruds."

"Xiao."

"Well... You probably know where this is going, right?"

He looked at me for a good thirty seconds. He slowly nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Y-You know now, right?" I cried, trying to suppress the tears that are threatening me. But they betrayed me. These _fucking tears _betrayed me and took over me. Jin looked confused. He didn't know what to do or what to say to make things better.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

"Why me, Xiao? Of all the boys here in this school, why me?"

"Why Julia, Jin? Of all the other girls here at school, why _my best friend_?"

_Today_, I was seated in the middle of the three of them. Steve, Jin and Hwoarang. They boxed me in. Jin was seated on the chair to my left, Hwoarang was seated on the chair on my right, and Steve was seated just right in front of me.

_You can't blame him, right? We can't control how he feels?_

Right...

_But cutting yourself? We don't understand what you get when you cut!_

It makes... the pain in my heart go away...

_It's better off knowing the truth, right? Would you like him to lie to you? No, right?_

No...

_It's gonna hurt much more living a lie, right? Would you like Jin to love you out of pity?_

I...

_We just gotta accept the truth. That's all you gotta do to make the pain go away. _

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_No... It's not like that..._

Then what is it?...

_You have to understand. You can't blame him._

I can't...

_Stop cutting yourself, please?_

I looked at the three of them. The three kings. One whom has completely crushed my heart and left me senseless. Steve, Jin and Hwoarang. I knew where this conversation was gonna end up. Nowhere. I was crying. _Crying_. So desperate to be loved. So... broken.

_It's the same old story again and again._

_Girl and boy meets._

_Girl falls hard._

_Boy can't catch._

**End of story.**

I tried to suppress the tears. Steve rubbed my back, trying to soothe me. He looked at my left wrist and found a tiny cut. _A simple reminder to remind me of how he broke my heart. _All three of them and they didn't know what to do with me. My cut didn't hurt. Unrequited love hurts more than all of the blades in the world used on my wrist.

_Xiao... In class, we're all friends. We're siblings. No one wants to see you like that. _

I understand, Steve.

_The truth hurts, but the truth will set you free._

Of course, Hwoarang.

_Stop cutting yourself, Xiao. _

Yes... Jin.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_Today_, I smiled. Even if the tears threatened me to come out, I smiled. They all know me. So happy. Cheery little Xiao. I was able to get back my ribbon. I had to wash away the awful scarlet hue that tainted its once cherry blossom pink color. It's gonna take a while for me to cleanse the red. I decided to keep it like that for a while. Let the color fade out on its own and be fascinated at how the ribbon reverted back to its original color. I tied this ribbon around my cut wrist. Perhaps the cut and color will fade away soon, but it'll take a while, just like this heart of mine. It's broken, yes, but it'll heal.

Tears were cried. My heart was crushed. A scar on my wrist will continue to remind me of how painful it can get to love someone who loves someone else. And that that _someone else _is my best friend.

Is it because I'm immature? I'm noisy, whiny and such a crybaby?

_No... Of course not. It's because you're special and there's someone out there who is much worthy of you. _

Maxi told me that tears are the most precious source of water. I smiled and couldn't agree any more. Grandpa was filling my jug with more water than usual.


	5. Want

-insert disclaimer-

This one's laced with _Tears_, the previous chapter.

**Dedicated to Belle, if ever you're reading. As promised, here's a one-shot for ya, Puche!**

Now Playing: _Smile _by Tamia.

* * *

**Want**

She got your heart. And you got mine.

Xiao always told me that I'm so lucky. I've got guys crawling at my feet, begging for acceptance, approval and affection. My friend the dreamer. Does Xiao truly think I can have all the boys I want? Of course I can't. There's this one guy I want, and strangely, he's the only one I can't have.

She got your heart. And you got mine.

It's kind of funny how Xiao never had any ill will and grudges against me. It was her who told me, after all, that _Jin _likes me. Jin Kazama. Call me lucky and call me fortunate. I still don't feel different. I don't feel... lucky.

Yes, Jin is adorable. Wait. That's not quite... a right word to describe him. I mean... Jin and the word 'adorable' just doesn't compute. Xiao said she agrees, but...

Never mind. Forget what I said. Yes, Jin is good-looking. His appeal to the ladies, his stride, his subtle smile that only chosen people can see, his deep, resonant voice... Yes, definitely Prince Charming material, but he's not...

"**STEVE!!"**

What?! No! I mean–! How did you–

…

Oh. My metaphorical twin sister Seong-Mina's being pestered by Steve.

_Steve..._

She got your heart. And you got mine.

I can remember how Mina once entered our lives again when she returned from Canada last year. We became friends... And we became indivisible.

Little did I know that there was something occurring.

Behind all those thorn-beaded comments and ant bite pinches, Steve was in love. With my best friend whom I even considered my long lost twin sister.

When Xiao cried, the only thing I could tell her was _I understand how you feel, Xiao. I really do. _

Of course I do. She loves Jin, who... um... And I...

Love Steve... Who loves my best friend. Oh, yes.

She got your heart. And you got mine. Sometimes I regret falling in love with you, little Brit. You don't know what you've done to me.

Believe me. I've fallen in love with you more times than how you love my best friend. It's all too surreal.

She got your heart. And you got mine.

You call that lucky? I don't think so.

When Xiao cried, I could only offer her two things: sympathy and comfort, both which she gladly accepted. When she told me that Jin likes me, I could only hug her. Her crystalline tears drenched my blouse. If only I could cry just like her...

But that would be out of my character. I never cry. The last time I cried in front of so many people was when I reported about the growing world population and that some selfish people don't think about their children's futures! How can they do it to their children?! How?! I want to help this world too by reforesting my precious Arizona! If I succeed there, I'll reforest the rest of the world, including the Philippines, where–

…

Okay. I got carried away there. Talim told me that where she lives still had trees and forests. The northern part of the Philippines is going bald.

…

That's the truth. I never cry. If I do, I'll cry in secret. Maybe a long walk outside while it's raining. That way, no one can see my tears.

Dramatic, I know. But no one else knows. I shed tears in private. When I'm alone. And when I go to school, I'm always wearing that distinct smile, hoping to catch _his_ eye. I'm always wearing that distinct smile, acting like everything is okay. That's the shield I use. One smile can cover up a ton of tears.

When Xiao cut herself, Steve scolded her. When she cut herself again, she got scolded even more. I wonder... if I cut myself...

No, no. That's wrong. Steve already told me stop whatever I'm planning.

If only he knows...

She got your heart. And you got mine.

When we were third graders, I admitted to Steve that I liked him. You know what he did? He just laughed at me.

When we were fourth graders, I still like him.

When we were fifth graders, I _love _him.

When we were sixth graders, Steve and my best friend started their relationship. It was quite long-lived, considering the fact that Mina had to leave the country for some time. Their relationship ended abruptly.

When we were freshmen, Steve began his relationship with the smartest girl in class. I envy her. I only ranked fourth in the class. If I aimed higher...

When we were sophomores, I tried _desperately _to let go of him. I even got close to getting over him...

How come whenever I get close to forgetting him, there's something about him that holds me back. He's giving me more reasons to love him rather than forgetting about him.

Now, we're juniors. I _still_ love him. So much.

She got your heart. And you got mine. You see me smiling, you little Brit. You see me laughing at your jokes and attempts to make the whole class smile... But you... can't _see _me.

It's because you only see _her. _

What made _her _and _I _so different? Why do _you_ want _her_ so much?

I remembered what he told Xiao. _You can't blame him, right? We can't control how he feels. _I saw him looking at me, as if he was telling it to _me. _Right. Xiao can't control how Jin feels. And I can't control how _he _feels. Why?

_Why? Why? Why?_

I've been talking too much. Just too much.

"Hey there, Arizona!"

Eep.

I felt my that my body suddenly tensed up. Did I contemplate too much? Was I thinking to deeply that I didn't even realize that he was seated next to me?

She got your heart. And you got mine.

"What is it?" I asked him sharply. Read right through me, little Brit.

He was taken aback all of a sudden. _What happened to approachable Julia? _I can hear him asking himself.

Behind all those silly jokes and playful laughter, I fell in love.

"Jules, is something wrong?"

I shook my head. _Go on. Keep on reading. _

"Honestly? You aren't PMSing or something, are you?"

"Now that's just rude!" I almost shouted at him. Instantly, a bald guy poked his head in the window.

"Did someone call me?" Rude said, fixing his sunglasses. I felt that the whole class sweatdropped at his sudden entrance. I heard someone say 'come along now, Rude!' as he was dragged away. I saw long legs and long brown hair. It was Asuka's favorite rival.

Steve cleared his throat and resumed our petty talk. "As I was asking..."

"Just go away," I told him. But of course, he always does the opposite of what he's told. He looked over my shoulder.

"Jules?"

"Go away."

I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him. I'm going to ignore him.

No... Not the puppy dog eyes...!

I sighed. "Steve–"

"I understand, Jules. You needed some alone time. Okay. Your wish is my command, princess," he said, mocking a bow and turning to leave. On impulse, I held onto his sleeve, halting his leave.

"Don't go..." I managed to mutter.

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" He asked me as he sat down again.

"I... want to ask you something."

"I'm listening."

"Steve, what if this... girl like you. No, wait. Scratch that. What if this girl loves you, but she's afraid of telling you?"

"What? There's someone who likes me?" He asked innocently. _Get over it, boy. A lot of girls like you. _

"I happened to know someone," I said. Can he read right through me?

"Really now? I'd like to know who she is."

Oh, no.

"Is she from the class?"

"Um. Yes. Well... you see her everyday. She's wondering if she ever has a chance."

"Can you describe her for me?" Inquisitiveness, inquisitiveness .

_A bit short. Braided brown hair. Loves denim. _"Let's just say she's short. And she's wanted you all her life."

He chuckled. That sweet, sweet chuckle full of delight. I just love... _you_. But...

She got your heart. And you got mine. All I have now is a little hope...

Steve ruffled my hair. "Jules, can you tell her that I'll be waiting for her at the gate later? Better yet, why don't you tell yourself?"

Right. I'll be sure to tell her.

…

_What?_

He looked at me and grinned. "You're not a good liar, Julia. You're too honest."

So...

"So, what say you, princess? Meet me at the gate later?" He said, winking at me.

"Sure."

And so now I'm wondering if I could ever have your heart.

She got your heart. And you got mine.

But I'm still hoping. I'm still wanting.


	6. Fragile

-insert disclaimer-

Hwoarang: What? No warnings today, Sei?

Sei: None. Although I would like to say one thing.

Steve: What is it?

Sei: OLD SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL!! :) -dances off crazily-

* * *

**Fragile**

Dear little scarlet phoenix,

O, delicate little flower bud. Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?

You've been broken too many times, after all. I could've prevented that, you know. That way, you wouldn't have any trouble counting those scars on your arms.

It's because you don't have to count anything.

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?

I bet you're thinking about _him_ right now. You're wishing that _he_ was the one who wrote this letter to you instead of _me_. Well, you can consider this a joke and throw it away... But when did I ever play a joke on you? Right. Physical Education. You know I didn't mean to hit you on the face with the ball. We were playing dodge ball! You gotta dodge the ball!

Oh, right. You were so busy looking and ogling at _him_ that you didn't even bother to run for your life when the ball was flying to you and bam!

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?

You're a shining star. The lovely Venus that shines at night, radiant and brilliant. But not matter what you do, _he's never going to see your light. He _will remain impassive at your every smile and attempt to get close to _him. He_ won't see you like I do. _He never will. _

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?

Don't look at me. I've been trying so desperately to get you out of my head but you're stuck like a song on repeat. It was wrong. _I _was wrong. Noticing you had prices to pay and I'm paying what's due. That's what I get, eh? I can't get you out of my head.

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you? Why do you look at him and ignore me? I was there when _he _made you cry. I was there when _he_ said _he _can't return those tender feelings you had for _him_. It's all just so frustrating.

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you? You have _me. I_ won't make you cry like _he_ did and_ I_ won't make you wait like a lonely puppy looking for its owner.

What the heck? I can summarize all that I wrote here in just three simple words.

I love you.

Darn. Did I just write that? Yeah, I did. And I'm using a blue pen, too.

Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?

Crap. This love letter thing just doesn't suit me. I'm not the romantic type, but what the heck.

Yours truly, gray eagle

"Baek, what's that you're writing?" A petite brunette peered at her seat mate's notebook. On impulse, her seat mate ripped the page off the notebook and crumpled it. Anna looked at her seat mate, puzzled.

"What's wrong? You always showed me your drawings and paragraphs whenever it's just the two of us. How come you won't let me see what you wrote?" She questioned him. He never acted that way unless he was hiding something. And he never hid anything from her at all.

Baek, flustered, quickly pocketed the crumpled notebook leaf and began to formulate some knick-knack excuse just to get away from answering Anna's question. _Honestly_, that is.

He didn't have the greatest imagination, but now, he'd do just about anything to flee from the impromptu interrogation.

"Those were just... some silly hypotheses when we grow up, Anna!" He said, cracking a smile.

"Hypotheses?" Anna echoed, a little ascent in her voice. "Like what?"

"Like, uh..." Baek's eyes scanned their classroom. He found a certain blond replenishing her pellet gun. "Your sister Nina's gonna have a baby boy! He's gonna be blue-eyed, blond and British!"

Anna gave him a quizzical look. "British? Baek, we're Irish. How can Nina's baby be–"

"K-Kazuya and Jun are gonna get married when we get older!" The Korean sputtered. "And they're going to have a baby boy that looks just like Kazuya, but with Jun's kind heart."

He elicited a irenic giggle from the short-haired brunette. The Korean sighed. Her titter sounded so ambrosial and saccharine. It was wedged in his brain from now on.

"Honestly, Baek. You need to get a girlfriend," Anna told him. "If you want, I can introduce you to some girls I know."

Baek began to doodle mindlessly at the back of his notebook, sticking a mental Post-It note on his head reminding him to stop daydreaming about the future and stop writing love letters addressed to the girl he likes. Wait. He ripped that Post-It note off his head and stuck a new one reminding him to stop daydreaming about the future and stop writing love letters addressed to the girl he he _loves_.

That was the belligerent truth he tried to deny access into his head when he began to notice how _cute_ the brunette was. Oh, man. He needed a wake-up call. _Badly. _

"Hey. I'd like to hear more of your predictions."

"Well, um... I can imagine myself having a kid as well. Although for some strange reason, I can see red hair."

Anna ruffled her seat mate's hair. "Don't worry. It's all in your head."

"Marshall's going to have his own restaurant. Paul's going to be battling bears. Michelle's going to have a daughter that looks just like her. I dunno. Sooner or later, this school's going to have some pink-haired robot walking around the corridors," he leaned down a bit closer to his seat mate and whispered. "And for all I know, old man Mishima's got a European mistress. Someday, I can feel that there's gonna be a little blond boy running around here, looking for his father."

She giggled yet again. The ethereal feeling wafted around him once more, taking him into an exhilarating high like no other.

"Is that all?"

_And, uh, I like you. Long pause. You're gonna say, 'Really?'. I'm gonna shrug. And then I can see you walking away from me slooooowly..._

"Uh, yeah. That's the rest of it," Baek concluded. "I still have yet to see if those predictions are correct. Let's wait a few years."

"You're so funny, Baek. No wonder a lot of girls like you!"

_A lot except... _

_My little scarlet phoenix._

"Anna! Come here for a sec, will ya?" Michelle Chang waved her hand at Anna.

"Coming!" The short-haired brunette waved back at her friend. "I'll see you later, Baek!"

"Sure."

The petite figure retreated. Baek cursed in his native tongue as he pulled out the crumpled paper out of his pocket. He opened it and smoothed out the edges. After folding it, he slipped it between the brunette's English notebook.

_You're gonna find out sooner or later. _

_Why look at someone else when you've got someone seated right beside you?_


	7. Failure

-insert disclaimer-

Ficlet.

One more for xxmyHEARTxx.

* * *

**Failure**

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

That was the cruel truth. Regrettably and devastatingly, I made this critical mistake that forced me to…

Let go of her.

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

Why am I even questioning myself? I don't have the right answers to these questions plaguing my head. You're an idiot, Steve. I failed.

It was a hefty choice I had to make. You see, it's easy for love to bloom from friendship… But friendship is hard to restore especially when it's from a broken love.

I didn't want to lose our friendship. I valued it more than earning her love.

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

She is a rhythmic, pulsating little beat in my head and I can't get her out ever since that day I asked her if I had a chance.

She and I… we've been through a lot now. But I…

I let the fear take over me. I want her so badly, but the thought of losing her threatened me. I feared that if we ever get together and we break up, all of our memories would be sundered. You know. The risk was just too fatal for me to take.

**I can't tell her that I feel the same. I can't. I failed.**

It's the tiring and irritating truth that keeps on haunting me to no end and at wits end and I don't fucking know what to do.

There.

Crazy little Brit. Can't get the Native American girl out of my head. Can't.

I believe that she considered my feelings for her as a joke, but they were real. That's why I failed. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with her. It was all so wrong.

But feelings can't be controlled and contained easily.

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

It's a mistake and I'm damned for it. It sucks to know that I can't ever have her in my life. Well, she's a part of my life, but not… the way I expected her to be.

I've had so many plans mapped out for the two of us. So many dates, secret plans, surprises and promises… So many dreams about the two of us. I know I'm doing the girl's job to dream, but I can't help it.

I'm such a loser. **I failed. **

I believed that I had a chance. I felt it. She can't say it openly, but my fox senses told me that the affection I had for her was mutual. It was supposed to be _all systems go_…

--

_Hey, what are you doing today?_

Thinking about you.

_Very funny. Where are you now?_

In your heart.

_Steve…_

I know, I know. Cut it out with the lines. You know you're always so cute when you're angry. Speaking of angry… How come whenever it's me you're talking to, you're mad? I mean, nothing I do seems right to you.

And so the failure calling seeps in.

Those lines. That's all I can say. That's my limit. If I take you seriously, will you do the same?

No?

Yes?

That's exactly why I joke around. You never take me seriously. That's why I'm all jokes.

--

"_Mina, I've been thinking…"_

"_Is this about Julia again?" _

"_Is that… all that I can do? Am I… really all jokes?"_

"_That, Steve, is all up to you."_

_--_

I remembered thrashing everything I see inside the classroom. It was the unstoppable fury and feeling of rejection that flowed in my veins. I remembered almost breaking the classroom door and kicking the chairs in my way, spitting out two words like bitter berries.

**I failed.**

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

When I close my eyes, she comes to life. I see her wanting me as much as I want her. Always. _Always. _You know that sweet dreams like her weren't made for heavy sleepers like me. It may lead to my untimely death while I sleep.

Always. Always. As ever. I failed. I know I'll get over her someday, somehow. These wounds will mend. I wonder if hers will, too.

She was the critical mistake I aborted luckily. I was able to escape the fate that should be _us _and the future that should have been the present.

Julia…

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?

Because… I failed. I feared losing her and holding onto her so tightly. Delicate little butterfly. I might break her wings if I hold on too tight.

Always. Always. I failed.

She feels that I like somebody, but why can't she feel that she's that somebody?


	8. Walk

-insert disclaimer-

One-sided JinXiaoyu. Also my favorite chapter. (For now xD)

* * *

**Walk**

It was a misty summer night. Twenty-two minutes to seven PM. I didn't know what to make out of the moment. I acted out of haste and... envy.

--

It was everyone's favorite Korean's birthday today. He had told everyone in class to show up at his place this afternoon. He chided me, since I'm one of those who don't show up when there are parties. But since it was Hwo and he's practically like my brother, not to mention that our houses are just blocks away, and that Chris and Lili showed up at my place before going to the celebrator's (Boy, that's a lot of reasons), I decided to pop up unexpectedly. And...

_He was gonna be there. _

I knew that it wasn't gonna be a good idea to show up. (I was still in my teddy bear shorts.) Hwoarang beat me to the reason why I was there. I scanned the place, Hwo's backyard. Blooms as red as his hair were all over the place. But Hwoarang and flowers... just doesn't compute.

I saw _him _with Kilik. They were walking back to Hwo's, probably looking for the rest of the group. He looked so nice in that gray shirt. (Contrast to my over-sized black t-shirt and teddy bear shorts.) Chris and Lili sat down on the green monoblock bench set for the mini-birthday bash. The music playing was the celebrant's own brand. It felt kind of good listening to that rhythmic blares of electric guitar strings and the earsplitting drums.

Hwoarang looked like a king in his melancholic garden, awaiting his guests for tea. Alas, this princess can't stay out too late for she fears the wrath of her sage grandfather. (And the unbearable cold blowing against my legs. Remind myself never to wear these teddy bear shorts when going out late.)

I sat down on one of the red chairs, dejected. _He was there. _Jin was there. He was waiting for someone, and sadly, it wasn't me.

Since I wasn't even in the mood to attend that crummy little get-together, I decided to go home. I certainly wasn't in the mood to party. _And drink._

"I'm going home," I mumbled from out of the blue. Chris and Lili turned to me, concerned. I hopped off the chair and made my way home.

"Hey. At least say good bye to the birthday celebrant, Xiao," Lili told me. I was already one house away from the party when I heard footsteps chasing after me. _It was him. _

"You're going home already?" he asked, matching my pace. My heel spun and I found myself headed back to Hwo, ignoring the guy following me. I looked at the celebrant, apologetic.

"I gotta go, Hwo. I'll make it up to you sometime again, okay?" I told him, holding onto the sleeve of his bright-striped shirt. He gave me a nod of affirmation. I went back on walking. Again, I was a house away from the party when I heard Hwoarang instruct Jin to take me home. He obliged. Our walk began.

--

It was a misty summer night. Twenty-two minutes to seven PM. I didn't know what to make out of the moment. I acted out of haste and... envy.

I can hear the crickets chirping as we began our walk. Hands in my (teddy bear shorts) pockets and eyes on the ground, I just wanted this walk to last.

_Endless road. I wish it was an endless road._

"I know that you were only forced to take me home," I began. He matched his stride with mine in an attempt to wait for me.

"Of course not, Xiao," he told me.

"Of course you were," I shot back. Jin turned to me and grinned. He walked backwards.

"Why? Don't you want me to?" he had this tingly, teasing edge on his voice that made me grin as well. Short-lived, but it was okay.

A few seconds after that, he began poking questions at me. (Believe me. He has quite the penchant for bombarding me with questions whenever it's just the two of us.) "What's with the long face?"

"Nothing," I said. Apparently, he knows the reason why I'm so down. He's playing safe with me.

"Come on, Xiao. Why are you sad?"

I don't know if he's playing dumb with me or he's still really oblivious to how I feel. I sighed. "You probably know the reason why, right?"

A bit of silence. _Very uncomfortable silence. _Then he answers back.

"It's always me. I'm always the reason." _Good you know, idiot. Good you know. _"Spot on?"

I nodded. His figure cast a silhouette on the ground. The orange light radiated from above. Street lights. He's walking properly now, his back to me. I can imagine brilliant, angelic wings attached on his broad back. It's all a hallucination, _just like him. _

I believe in fairy tales too much.

"Hey, Xiao... You aren't normally depressed when you're at home, are you? At school, you look really happy..."

"It's because the others are there. If not for them, then I wouldn't be smiling at all."

"What do you when you're at home?" _What's with all the questions again?_

"Um... Write a bit. Draw. Play with Panda."

He looked surprised. "What? Is that all?" _What did he expect me to do?_ "Don't you... go out?"

"I would if I was allowed to, you know. I'm just... not the one whose always granted freedom." _Yeah. Some princess... _

"Don't you get bored?"

"It can't be helped," I shrugged. Silence ensued for a moment. It made me wish that this walk would last forever. It made me wish that the road would just go on and on and on. You know I can go on walking like this, just the two of us, the stars lighting our way. _This princess wants to stay with this prince... _

I'm watching him walk, his pace synchronized with mine. What's going on in his head? I wonder what he's thinking of. Does he ever question himself _Why me? _Was he sorry for ever hurting me? Come to think of it, there were a thousand questions I wanted to ask him, but...

"Hey, how come you won't like me?"

He avoided my gaze, turning his sight back to the front. "Because... we can't control that."

"Oh," I managed to say. I managed to make a fool out of myself yet again. Applause and party-poppers.

You know the silence was deafening already but I couldn't bring myself to say a word. From there on, Jin did all the talking. I just smiled.

When we reached the last corner of the road, I held onto his sleeve, prompting him to stop on his tracks.

"Xiao?"

Eyes still on the ground and my fingers wringing the sleeve of his gray shirt, I spoke uneasily, on the verge of breaking down. "Thanks... and sorry if I'm such a nuisance."

He looked down at me. "It's okay."

I brought my fingers to my eyes and proceeded to wipe the tears stinging my eyes. He flinched. I knew that reaction. _Panic. _

"H-Hey! Why're you crying again? Xiao?"

And I stood there, sniffling, my fingers curling at the corner of my eyes, rubbing away the tears that embodied all the feelings I had for... This guy in front of me.

The tears ceased momentarily. I took a deep breath and smiled at Jin. "Thanks and sorry."

"It's okay," he assured me again. I expected him to be leaving now, but he's going straight to the gate of my house.

"Grandpa might see you," I warned him.

"Oh, right..." He said, taking a few steps back from the gate. I walked past him, expecting him to disregard me now. I was expecting him to leave now...

I turned back to him. "Jin, I'm sorry if‒"

His hand brushed my head. "It's okay."

I was trying to desperately pull myself together after his gesture. It's those kinds of things that keep me holding onto him. Every time I try to give up on him, he's gonna give me one more reason to love him even more. (Weaknesses. Darn it.)

"I'll see you around," he said. I smiled at him.

"Yes. Thanks and sorry again."

As I turned away, I heard his retreating footsteps doing jogs. There was something bubbling inside me, wanting to call him back, touch the sleeve of his gray shirt... (Hormones. Crap.) It was longing, and it was so unstoppable.

--

It was a misty summer night. Twenty-two minutes to seven PM. I didn't know what to make out of the moment. I acted out of haste and... envy. It didn't do me any good at all, but I did get to walk with Jin. Sooner or later, he's gonna want to walk with me again.

I'm still hoping. I'm 99.9 percent positive that he doesn't like me. But I'm still holding on to that point 01 percent chance that he's gonna love me too. We're gonna walk again, and when that time comes, we'll be holding hands all the way.


	9. Unquestionable

-insert disclaimer-

No, I don't really own Tekken... But I'm gonna get myself a copy of Tekken 6 and load it on our PSP!

To xxmyHEARTxx, if ever she's reading this... _maniwala ka sakin. Napapansin ko 'to lagi. di ko mapigilan sarili ko na isulat 'to. XD_

Warnings: Uh... See for yourself? :))

* * *

**Unquestionable**

Oh, yes. Their chemistry. The three of them. Everything is unquestionable.

The wild redhead, the cute blond and the enigmatic brunette.

Hwoarang, Steve and Jin.

Three names. One word to describe their bond.

Love.

- -

Hwoarang stared at the undeniably cute face of his best friend, even telling himself that the boy was quite pretty. Once the pair of sapphire eyes turned to his direction, he grinned. The blond, in response, stared back with the same intensity radiating from the redhead's gaze.

Steve chuckled. Hwoarang broke into another grin.

"You're cute, you know that?"

"You too, mate."

Oh, yes. Their chemistry.

- -

One thing Steve loved the most was his wax. That was one way to keep his hair from flying away and going frizzy. He kept a little can of wax in his dirty blue back pack, along with a bottle of his perfume (exactly the same one that his best friend uses as well) and a matching slim blue comb.

While the young blond and his ebony-haired, grumpy-faced best friend were hanging out in the quiet classroom, seated in adjacent seats, Steve took out his trusty can of hair wax from his bag and began his regimen, borrowing a mirror from Lili. He focused the mirror on his face, even chuckling to himself and saying what a handsome champion he is. Well, men will be men.

His fingers worked their way through his sunny blond hair. Hwoarang once told him that he had nice yellow hair. Steve was irked after hearing the comment, saying that yellow is the color of urine and he has blond hair.

He noticed that Jin was staring at him as he worked on his hair, complete with the chin-resting-on-his-palm look.

"That much wax to keep your hair down?"

Steve closed the distance between him and his best friend. He was close enough to feel Jin's heart go jump, jump, jump.

"Steve--"

The blond grinned as he fiddled with the black loose fringes framing his best friend's face slightly crimson face. "Let's brush these up so that you'll look like your old man."

Oh, yes. Everything is unquestionable.

- -

Jin was never the physical type of person. He was certainly never the first person to initiate contact. He hated moving around so much that even the littlest nudge would irritate him.

Although he makes some exceptions...

Every lunch time, Hwoarang and Steve would boisterously stalk Jin's classroom to pester him to join them for lunch. The two of them were his exact antithesis that it always made him wonder how and why they became great friends.

Steve raised his mirror at his eye level, carefully inspecting his hair and cowlick-ing away those stubborn strands that just won't stay in place. "Now where in the blue blazes is Lars? I'm starving here."

Jin stood there, feet mounted on the marble floor. His arms were crossed over his chest, continuously watching Steve and his wondrously troublesome habit. He was still stony-faced, as always, until a pair of arms wound around his waist. A chin rested on his shoulder and a grin was visible.

"Tell Lars we're leaving him if he doesn't come out yet. Mister grumpy-moody-face here looks like he's gonna hit someone with that mirror Steve's holding!" It was Hwoarang.

The Korean nudged Jin's knee with his own, pressuring him to walk. "Come on, Jin! Let's go to the cafeteria and grab some drinks."

Jin walked slowly, a wobble present with every step he made. Somehow, he just can't unlatch the Korean leech stuck on his back.

Why bother? He kind of liked the feeling.

Oh, yes. Their chemistry.

- -

"Because, Xiao, the three of us are lifetime partners," Steve told the crying pigtailed girl. Her tears ceased for a moment as the blond spoke frankly. "The three of us? We take baths together every Saturday and feed each other! Don't you even wonder why none of us have girlfriends, save Hwoarang? Because the three of us are attached to each other!"

Xiaoyu tried her hardest to suppress the bright grin pulling at her pink lips.

"And so that's why Jin can't ever like you. Because he's with Hwoarang and I. You understand?"

"There are... many fish in the sea," Jin mumbled from behind. Steve shot him a smug glare. "Shut up, you worthless idiot."

The Chinese girl nodded, her eyes marred by tears. Steve shook his head. "Understand, you little girl. You love that dolt so much but what does he do? Does he even value you and your feelings for him? Understand, please... When you love someone, don't give your whole self... Don't just keep on following your heart," he tapped her forehead several times. "Try to use a bit of this, okay?"

She nodded again, the warm tears coming to a halt. She finally understood...

When she, Julia and Christie were hanging out in her house to unwind after a long, lazy school day, the three males became their center of conversations.

"..."

"Well, we all heard Steve confirm it."

"..."

"And even though Hwoarang loves Miharu-chan _a lot_..."

"The three of them..."

"Are so in love with each other."

"Remember how Asuka once commented that Steve and Hwoarang were like husband and wife, with the wife ambiguous."

The three girls sighed in defeat. Even though Steve was only playing with the words, everything looked so true.

Every brush of the hand, stroke on the face, playful embrace and the tiniest caress meant so much for the three guys.

Oh, yes. Their chemistry. The three of them. Everything is unquestionable.


	10. Sparkle

-insert disclaimer-

**Author's Ramble****: **Howdy. Missed you all. :')

Some sort of companion piece to **Want**.

* * *

**Sparkle**

Sometimes, the feelings that come back... are the feelings that never went away.

Knowing good ol' Arizona... Knowing pretty Julia... She gave her whole heart to a bastard who simply laughed at her tender offering of feelings.

Sometimes, guys just suck. I mean, look at what Steve did to poor Julia! Why does he keep on letting her hold onto him even though he let go so long ago? The two of them are like a sapphire ring. He's the ring and she's the lovely gemstone. Fate would have to be the finger wearing the ring.

You know how the finger just kept on bumping onto stone walls, slamming onto wooden doors and hitting steel windows?... It's always the sapphire that receives the hit and impact. The ring would just be there. Well, the sapphire's all chipped and scratched, but it still managed to come out so beautiful and radiant.

It's all so frustrating. If the ring was mine, I'd take it apart, keep the sapphire and throw away the ring for all I care. I'll let it burn in hell's fire 'til it melts.

Stupid Steve.

- -

It was lunch time and I was headed to the comfort room for a tinkle. As I descended the steps, I heard this familiar voice that said, "Hey, Julia. Come on."

I turned back and saw Arizona reaching for my arm. "Osaka, come with me for a sec, will you?"

Though I was unaware of what was going on, I decided to tag along since I was headed downstairs anyway. "Uh, sure, Arizona!"

_But why the heck was Steve leading the way?_

I leaned down and whispered, "Hey, Arizona. Why are you with 'Teve?"

Julia simply smiled and replied, "Because he owes me a Sparkle."

"Oh..." I managed to utter, still confused... at something.

…

I was out of place for a moment, then suddenly, I came to a realization that the two of them weren't a couple. (Even though they really _should be_.) Silly me. Recovering, I matched my stride with Julia's and went on asking more questions. "A Sparkle? Why?"

"I did his computer homework. He's paying me back," her voice was smooth. Steve was already way ahead of us. He wasn't in a hurry... But he doesn't wanna slow down one bit. He was there, all right. I wanted to clobber him with my shoe to make sure. As we reached the cafeteria, I told Arizona that I'll be headed to the comfort room while the two of them went to get a Sparkle.

Sometimes, the feelings that come back... are the feelings that never went away.

As I watched the two of them (they didn't know, didn't see and didn't really care), I couldn't help but feel this unignorable feeling of regret that stabbed my heart. What was it called? You know...

_They were there, but they weren't really there._

It's so confusing.

- -

_I kept my distance from him just to be safe. It's not that he was gonna do something awful. (He did buy me a Sparkle.) I just don't want people to think that we're... together._

_He took big and proud strides while I shrunk behind him all the way back to our classrooms. I wondered and asked myself if he could hear my heart in ballistics. _**Why does he make me feel like this?**

_On our final step, I was surprised when he swished back, and even more surprised when he asked me, "Why are you there at the back?"_

Because I...

_Never mind. I simply patted his back and warmly said, "Thanks."_

_He merely waved his hand and grinned. You're welcome. The wordless connection. It's ours._

"_Hey," I said, feeling a little braver. "If I see you with that stupid and depressed look on your face again, you owe me another one of this."_

"_I'll give you a dozen if you want," he replied coolly. Then the gloom was on his face again, and not even I can take it away. _

Right. Only she can...

"_I'll see you around?" I asked him one last time. He nodded at me and grinned once more. "Yeah."_

_- -_

Sometimes, the feelings that come back... are the feelings that never went away.

Jules loved- _loves- _Steve. She tried denying those feelings but in the end, there was simply no way she could possibly let go of that precious cargo burdening her heart. And he? Steve? He's one son of a gun too complicated and complex to understand... And his heart is with _that girl..._

What the heck. I give up on the two of them. _They were there, but they weren't really there. _"What did he say after that?"

Arizona sighed, plopping onto the vacant chair next to mine. "We said good bye."

In her hands, the Sparkle was still untouched and bubbling inside the glossy transparent bag, the carbonated topaz liquid slowly warming up and turning into moist.


	11. Braver

-insert disclaimer-

Sei: Go, Hwoa! XD

Hwoarang: We-ll, this little lady here would like to disclaim **Tekken**. Obviously, she's not rich. One thing is, she can never own the greatness that is us.

Steve: C'mon! She can't even buy herself any time!

Jin: And joy.

Sei: Stop picking on me!

Author's Ramble: Missing all of you like crazy. :|

* * *

**Braver**

Next time, I'll be braver.

The first time I saw you walking alone on your way back home, I was riding in my father's car. Not only that, my father was behind the steering wheel. I knew that it was you from the first glance. The yellow stripes on your backpack was a dead giveaway. Yes, and the myriad of shiny stuff that hung on the zippers, too.

"Who's that?"

Father caught me looking at you. Father caught me looking at a _boy. _"Oh... He's a classmate of mine," I flashed him an innocent smile to rid him of his suspicions. I don't understand, but fathers have this "fatherly intuition" when it comes to their daughters and boys. Same as with mothers and sons, probably?

"A classmate of yours?" he quirked an eyebrow at me. I tried to keep up the guiltless smile so that he won't read over me. Father chortled all of a sudden. "Shall we give him a ride home?"

I felt my face heat up after that question. "N-NO!" I waved my hands frantically. Father, ever the curious man, raised his other eyebrow at me and asked rhetorically. "Why not? He's your classmate, isn't he?"

"J-Just... No! Daddy!" I screeched at him furiously. Father gave me a menacing grin. "You like that boy, don't you?" the car was going on reverse. "All the more I should ask him to ride with us!"

As of that moment, I labeled my father a madman. Panicking, I got hold of the steering wheel and pulled the car to another direction. Anywhere, just as long as his eyes won't meet yours.

"What are you doing?! Let go of the wheel!" Father exclaimed. I let go and turned back to face the road but ended up screaming and pointing to the ball of something that was crossing the road, "DAD! CAAAT!"

Instantly, my father hit the brakes. The ball of something wasn't really a cat, but it was a hideously overgrown white rat. Silence ensued for a moment, enough for you to finally walk past our car. I can see your key chains jingling and swishing as you walked. Your pace was calm, undisturbed.

I could sense my father's glare finely aimed at you. Not long after his glare, he turned to me and sighed. "You have a crush on that boy."

I shrugged. "I... I guess."

"But why don't you want him to ride with us?"

"Because..." I fought for words. "I'm not yet... brave enough."

Father stepped on the gas. Okay. Erase everything that happened today. Especially that "father-and-daughter-road-moment" thing. Wait 'til mother gets a load of this. He heaved a sigh again. "Next time, you have to be braver."

Yes.

Next time, I'll be braver.

"By the way..." Father went on. "That thing hanging from his bag... Was that a varnished wood carving of a penis?"

I looked down and shielded my beet red face with my hair. I nodded.

"Heh," Father grinned cheekily this time. "He's my kind of boy."

Next time, I'll be braver.

- -

The second time I saw you walking alone on your way back home, I was riding the tram. Imagine my surprise when I saw you saw me! Wait, that went out wrong... Imagine my surprise when I saw you see me! Okay... So I'm uneasy. Heck, the moment our eyes met, I felt heat build up in my face. Imagine my surprise when I saw you and you saw me. And to think that my hair was all messed up because of the wind...

It was still the same sight. You, your yellow striped backpack and your steady pace. It was unlike you. At school, you walked with this proud stride, head-in-the-clouds kind of walk. It couldn't be helped, really. You weren't called a king for nothing. You always came out the strongest and toughest and greatest, right? And when your friends are around you, you're invincible.

And I'm invisible.

But seeing you now with your calm, simplistic way of walking... It made me feel more visible...

_Braver..._

It made me feel like I could actually and possibly _reach_ you, like in my dreams. Our eyes met again, but you looked down as I turned away. It turns out that I'm not yet that brave enough. When the tram sped past you, I could only watch your uniformed figure fade out from my vision.

I don't know. The next time I see you, I just might jump off the tram... maybe just in time to be hit by a truck. But at least... At least I'll be able to say hi.

Next time, I'll be braver.

- -

The third time I saw you walking alone on your way back home, I was still riding the tram. You didn't see me, thank goodness, but I saw you. You. Your feet had the same steady pace. Your backpack still had yellow stripes. I could tell from a mile away... It was you.

_This time, I'll be braver. _

I succumbed to my urge to jump off the tram. My body acted on its own volition, really. I got off the tram and started running back to you, carrying my messenger bag and Technology and Livelihood Education textbook. When you saw me running, I could see the surprise on your face. Your reaction was so...

So instead of a graceful and beautiful footing, the same kind I pictured in my dreams, I ended up diving face-first on the pavement, my book and skirt flying over my head.

Next time... I'll try not to embarrass myself.

_This time, I'll be braver. _

"Leo? Are you all right, Kleisen?"

I sat up from the dusty pavement and saw your eyes looking back at mine. I nodded deliriously. I skinned my knee. This wasn't a dream.

_This time, I'll be braver. _

You held out your hand to me. I, ignorant and frightened, could only look at it. This wasn't really the kind of interaction I had in my dreams...

"I'll help you get up. That's a nasty bruise you got there," you grinned. "Trust me. I won't bite."

_This time, I'll be braver. _

So I held your hand. You pulled me up from the ground. I gathered my stuff again and ran my hands through my messy hair. "Um... Can... Can I walk with you for a while, Kazama?"

You looked back at me. "Sure. But why did you jump off the tram all of a sudden?"

I jogged a bit so that our paces were sync. "I..." How to say it. How to say it. "I guess I just wanted to walk for a while?..."

You grinned again. My knee hurt. This wasn't a dream. Scratch it. This is better than my dream.

"You're lying," you stated. "What's your _real_ reason?"

I looked at you. I only looked at you. I'm not really invisible now, am I?

Fight or flee.

_Fight. _

"I have..." I began. "I have something to tell you."

You were still grinning. "I'm listening."

I hoped from the bottom of my heart that the road would continuously stretch and stretch the farther and farther we walked. Trust me. This is truly better than any and every dream I had about you.

_This time, I'll be braver. _

"Kazama..."

This time, I'll be braver.


	12. Coffee

Hwoarang: Hello, Sei.

Sei: Dedicated to SeungSeiRan! No one knows how much I love her. Happy Birthday, girl! :D (I dunno if I'm too early or too late, but WTH. I luffs her! And you should go greet her too!)

Hwoarang: Well, they know now.

Sei: Just get on with the disclaimer!

Hwoarang: The little miss here would like to disclaim **Tekken**, and would like to greet her good friend a happy birthday. Happy birthday, SeungSeiRan!

Sei: Enjoy! Happy birthday, Ran!

* * *

**Coffee**

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

As much as I wanted to have a warm cup of coffee in the middle of our class discussion, there were about two or three things that restrained me. One would have to be the class. Two? There was no sign of coffee in my line of sight. Three? People have told me that I shouldn't drink too much coffee... And four... Well, I was seated beside you, a self-professed caffeine addict. So scratch that. There were four things that restrained me.

I loved the idea of having coffee in the middle of a class lecture. The very thought of sipping warm coffee from a paper cup on a rainy, rainy day was refreshing. Brewed coffee with brown sugar and hazelnut cream... It made me daydream. All I had in my lunch box was my empty food container and a jug of water. The coffee idea made me thirsty.

I sighed, grabbing my pen from my pencil case and started scribbling on my notebook how to get the derivative of a function. I really, really, _really_ wanted coffee. As in right now.

You were asleep. Oh, I know that you loved sleeping in class as much as you loved coffee. Even so, it was rude to fall asleep in class, even though I know that the lecture was painstakingly and utterly boring. You don't have to be so obvious. I (accidentally) nudged you on your head. You rose from your sleep slowly and easily, raising your mop of tangerine hair and facing our teacher through your half-lidded eyes. (And some shining moist clung to your lips.)

A yawn escaped your lips as you stretched your arms to the ceiling. I giggled a bit because your yawning face looked so funny. Right after your long stretch, you turned to face me, traces of sleep still evident on your placid face.

"What time is it?" you asked casually, as if you were listening to the lecture.

"Twenty more minutes 'til math's over," I replied as casual as ever.

You scratched your head for a moment, then turning to me again with a grin on your face. I couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

"Your hair," you said while taking a lock of it. "It reminds me of my favorite flavor of coffee."

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

"Boy. I sure wish that it was time to go home," you raised your hands and placed them behind your head. "I feel like curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee in my hands."

I don't know if you read my mind or if you're just caffeine-deprived like me. I sat back on my chair again and stopped scribbling. As much as I wanted to listen to our teacher and his important lessons about derivatives, there were about two or three things that restrained me. One would have to be the tedious formulas. Two? My pen just ran out of ink or it was wanking out on me and I couldn't care less. Three? It was only five more minutes 'til the bell rings, signifying dismissal time. And four... the thought of having coffee with you invaded my head. Now I can't get it out. And again, there were four things...

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

- -

The rain soothes me. Just looking at the silver droplets of heaven fall from the sky one my one made me want to crash on my bed and just dream, dream, dream away.

As much as I wanted to go home and crash on my bed to get some rest, there were about two or three things that restricted me from doing so. One would have to be the late dismissal. Two? The rain. It may soothe me, but it's quite annoying as heck. Three? There were no cabs pulling over. And four... you were standing beside me under the green-shingled waiting shed.

"Yo," you raised your hand to greet me. I only nodded. "Rain. The pits, eh?"

I nodded again, still looking up at the slate-colored heavens. The rain made my hair go a little static, some bits clinging onto my forehead. But unlike you, I wasn't drenched to the hilt, and I had a collapsible umbrella with me.

"I just want to go home... But at this time, no cabs will be pulling over soon," I said with a sigh, placing my bag down on the bench. You did the same, then sitting down in between our blue bags.

You were no mystery to me. You aren't enigmatic like Jin. You aren't over-dramatic like Steve. You aren't even responsible like Lars. You know, you were just Hwoarang. Just Hwoarang. The caffeine-addicted guy that still falls asleep in classes. Strange.

Speaking of coffee... I remembered to make some this morning and I brought it to school in a thermos. I brought it out from my lunch box.

Now... What made _me_ want to have coffee at a time like this?

I knew that you were looking at me as I fumbled on the bag zippers, almost dropping the thermos in the process. You took my lunch box and closed the zips yourself, probably having a fit of pity while I struggled.

I handed you the thermos cover (that was shaped like a cup) and poured some coffee. "I made it myself."

You looked at the cup quizzically, even placing your nose over the contents. I smiled, knowing that it was natural of you to be so vigilant. "It's coffee. If you want, I'll have some first."

Removing the cap itself from the thermos, I smelled the scent of my self-made coffee and couldn't help but smile because the crisp aroma was still there. I sipped away as I watched the rain fall down, just like looking out of my room window.

You looked at me, then you looked at the cup. Grinning to yourself, you took a sip of my self-made coffee. I was anticipating your reaction, but I couldn't read exactly...

"You made this?" you asked me. I nodded. You smiled again. "It tastes really good."

"Thanks," I replied, a smile on my face as well. "They say that you should share your happiness with other people. Coffee is my happiness, so I'm sharing it with you."

The smile looked really good on you, too. If only you knew how much it looked so nice on you. Maybe if you knew, then you'd stop falling asleep in our classes. You returned my thermos cup to me drained of its contents. I could still feel the heat of your fingertips...

"Thanks for the coffee, Jules," you said as you grabbed your backpack. "Let's do this again sometime."

I screwed the cup back on the thermos. "Sure."

Your tall, drenched figure slowly retreated away from the green-shingled waiting shed while I could only watch in awe. As much as I wanted to stay there under the green-shingled waiting shed, there were about two or three things that restricted me from doing so. One would have to be the time. I've been waiting for thirty minutes. Mom will have a fit when I get home again. Two? The rain stopped. Three? There was a cab that finally pulled over. And four... you weren't there anymore. You were the only thing that made me want to stay there anyway. And five... I have a problem with counting stuff. I really do.

What made me want to have coffee at a time like this?

- -

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

After another tedious and tiring day of schoolwork, lying down on my bed and dreaming of caffeine dreams would have to be one of the best ways to unwind. As much as I wanted to sleep, there were about two or three things that held me back. One would have to be because I just got home. Two? I was still in my school uniform, minus the shoes. Three? Homework. And four... Just as I was about to sink onto the lime green sheets of my bed, my cellphone began ringing.

Boy, this counting problem gets worse everyday.

I had a knack for personalizing ringtones, and I set one specifically for you if ever you should call me. Xiao had tunes of Hatsune Miku. Christie had R & B. Lili? Classical concertos. And Asuka? Tanaka Rie.

You? Rock. Red, to be precise.

Rock music and coffee and you still fall asleep in classes. A miracle.

I flicked my phone open and placed the receiver on my ear. "'Low?"

"Hey, can I come over? I want some coffee."

_What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?_

"What? You're coming over at my house?" I asked after being hurled a surprising question. You replied surely amidst the blurry and choppy transmission.

"Yeah. I'll be over there. And I mean NOW."

_Beep. Beep. _

You hung up. I can't believe it. It was raining torrents. Cats and dogs. A storm was brewing up and you were going to my house just for a cup of coffee? I cannot believe it. I cannot believe _you_.

Hwoarang. The coffee freak with a penchant for rock music and falling asleep in classes. You were one of a kind, all right.

"Julie, sweetheart? You have a visitor!" Mom's dulcet tone called me from downstairs, cutting through the daydream-infested atmosphere that wafted in my room. Getting up from my bed, I proceeded downstairs to meet you. As much as I wanted to see you, there were two or three things that held me back. One would have to be because I just got home. Two? I look like I've been run over by a truck. Three? We were given homework overload again. And four... I just don't know what to tell you... I don't know what to say. I'm not sure...

But I'm sure of one thing.

I have a bad counting problem. Two things end up being four. But who cares?

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

- -

Mom wasn't really the one to reject guests. In fact, she loved having people around the house. Especially if they were men. She was delighted to see you. The boy I've been telling her all about. The one who always falls asleep in classes despite drinking a lot of coffee and listening to rock. You were seated down on the dinner table like you were a part of our two-person family. As I descended the final steps of our stairs, you had a smile on your face. Strange yet again.

What made you want to have coffee at a time like this?

"Hey, make me some of your coffee," you told me casually again. "Your mom's really nice."

Sighing, I made my way to the cupboard and took out one of our earth-colored mugs and a teaspoon. Mom poured in some of the coffee she brewed. I proceeded to do my magic. Brewed coffee, brown sugar and hazelnut cream. My kind of coffee.

After stirring, I placed the mug down in front of you. I could still see the warm air rise from the cup, filling your nose with that aroma I loved so much. Blowing away the warmth, you took a sip again. I sat down across you. Mom placed a plate of cookies on the table.

"It's really good. I love it."

Your actions were so natural. So real. So... awake.

"Now why did you really come here?" I interrogated you for disturbing my time of rest. "I'm sure it's not just because of the coffee."

"I dunno," you said with a shrug and a grin. "I dunno what I love more: the coffee or you."

As much as I wanted to sleep at that moment, there were four things that stopped me from doing so. One? You were here. Two? This moment... This was definitely better than sleeping. Definitely better than dreaming. And three... three... _three_...

I have a counting problem, but who cares? I'm not even sure that it's a counting problem.

But I'm sure about one thing.

Coffee is definitely the best beverage. Ever. And I'm not counting why.


	13. Morning Beauty

-insert disclaimer-

Sei: Gah!

Baek: Oh? Who do we have here?

Kazuya: The little brat the children have been talking about.

Sei: Uh...

Kazuya: -death glare of doom- What are you looking at, you insolent little girl?

Sei: -glares back-

Baek: Kazuya, be nice to the authoress.

Kazuya: Tch. This little tick is disclaiming **Tekken**. She will never own the greatness that is us.

Baek: -sweatdrop-

* * *

**Morning Beauty**

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

Her flawless face, cheeks marred with rouge, curled lashes that flaunted her icy blue orbs, full lips glazed with shimmering gloss and a smile that broke both hearts and faces.

She possessed a smile that dazzled many, including him.

"Good morning, big brother!" the petite brunette would frantically wave an arm just to catch his attention, and she got it most of the time.

"Oi, she's blooming today, ain't she?" Lei nudged the aforementioned "big brother" with a toothy grin.

It never failed to amaze Paul how she came around each morning like nothing bad happened the day before today. To the eyes of other people, she was perfect and beautiful... But the way he saw her was different. She always came undone. No matter how much rouge she applied, she would always come undone in his eyes.

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

He believed so. Yes, yes. In the morning, she shined like a newly-polished ruby dangling from a silver chain. Under the morning sunlight, she was a dazzling sight to behold.

But as time passed– _hours, minutes, seconds_– the rouge faded away, her lips lost its fullness and sparkle... And her smile would be like any other girls' smile.

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

He only waited patiently. _Patiently_. Afternoon would come, and her beauty would be no more than normal.

- -

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

As the afternoon came rushing in like a firestorm, as well as the tidal wave of seat works and homeworks, the mask she wore dissolved, replaced by a beauty only Paul saw.

He watched how she patiently and skillfully brushed her pencil over the once-blank sheet of drawing paper. Sweat rolled down the corner of her smooth face, a sign of passion and dedication to her work.

"_Art is my life," _she once stated to him proudly. _"I want you to feel my passion through the works I create."_

Of course she herself was a work of art, painted skillfully to match perfection, but would still melt under the heat of the spotlight.

In those moments of imperfection, he saw her true beauty; a devoted and driven girl with a spirit unlike any other.

Anna looked up from her sketch and sighed contentedly. "I'm done, big brother!"

She proudly showed her rough sketch to her "big brother" with a pleased smile on her face.

Ah, her face...

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

The rouge faded away, mixing with her sweat. The gloss on her lips wore out, but her smile was even more beautiful to his eyes.

"Good job, kid!" he grinned back, ruffling her once-fixed hair. "This'll take you far."

Her smile widened even more. "Really, big brother? Thanks!"

"_She has wings, Lei," _he recalled telling his good friend once. _"Wings that'll take her to faraway places." _

It was said that her beauty lasted only 'til morning.

They were talking about her face, though.

"_Her true beauty," _Lei replied warmly. _"is everlasting."_


	14. Waltz

-insert disclaimer-

Sei: One-sided JinXiaoyu. Because the school canceled our prom and replaced it with a graduation ball instead. Great, great, great. Short, bittersweet and angsty.

Hwoarang: Consider yourselves warned, my friends!

* * *

**Waltz**

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

I knew it right from the start, of course. I steeled myself to the reality that dreams come true weren't made for little girls like me.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

And even if I tried to stand out, even if I _did_ stand out, I will still be a part of the crowd in his eyes. I can wear all the glimmer and the bling in this world... I can wear the prettiest and brightest make-up for all I could care... But he'll never notice me. Never ever.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

Of course, I know that a lot of guys will be asking, but just... not the right one.

And I know that he'll only ask one girl to dance.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

But still, I remain here at the corner, still wishing, hoping and praying from the bottom of my heart that he would notice me...

...And there he was, a feminine arm looped around his own. He looks dashing in his navy blue suit and tie, his smile matching his partner's brilliant and glossed beam. They descended the grand staircase gracefully, a sure-win couple of the night, prom king and queen... whatever.

They look so damn good together that it breaks my heart.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

The music starts playing. She was in his arms. Their fingers were intertwined. Slowly, they blended with the music and forgot the world, as if they were the only two persons left on earth.

And I... I could only watch in awe...

I remain sedate in this corner, drunk without a cause, my mind blank with so much pain.

They danced the night away while I watched from the sidelines. I was unknowingly killing myself slowly, letting the agony seep in, right down to my core until the pain stung. I had to wake up and shake up.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

And yet... I wait. I still wait.

Even though I know that it will never happen.

"_Wake up,"_ I told myself. _"Shake off the pain."_

A hand was extended to me. I looked up, only to see bright blue eyes and an understanding smile. Steve.

"Dance with me, wallflower?" he asked with a teasing tone that melted away all the pain and throbbing in my chest.

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

_Jin..._

"Sure!" I replied with a warm smile. I took his hand without a doubt. He led me away into a world of our own, until I couldn't feel my feet on the floor.

"Let me remove that frown on your face, k?" he whispered softly, wiping away the silver tear that rested on the corner of my eye. Steve... you nitwit.

_Thank you._

I know that he'll never ask me to dance. I will forever be waiting in vain.

Of course, I knew that a lot of guys will be asking... And it looks like I found the right one.


	15. Secret World

-insert disclaimer-

Sei: Ah... No co-hosts today. :3 Which is good, because I have to tell the readers something important about–

Lars: Ah, Sei-san. Here you are!

Sei: Wh-... I-It's LARS! _(is a Lars Alexandersson fan girl to death)_

Lars: Yes, it's me. The others told me that I'm your, er, co-host for today, so I...

Sei: … -faints-

Lars: Sei...? Oh, dear.

Hwoarang: She's hopeless. Go on with the script we practiced a while ago, lion boy.

Lars: Ah, yes. Sei Honou is disclaiming **Tekken**. Hwoarang, what should we do? She's just lying immobile on the ground...

Hwoarang: Meh. She'll come around a few minutes or so. Let's go grab some burgers with 'Teve and Jin!

Lars: Uh... A-All right then.

**Author's Ramble**: Now this would have to be my favorite chapter (for now). XD Honestly, I enjoyed typing this. Ahgk. Anyways, I miss you all. :) Your comments always fill me with encouragement. This would have to be a late Valentines Day story. Saving Valentines and all that sugary goodness... And without further ado, here's another dose of fluff from your crazy romance authoress. Hope you enjoy.

Text me! Text me! Text me! Text me! Text me! Text me! Text me! Text me! XDDD Theme of the day: Texting! (You'll know what I mean when you start to read. -wink wink-)

Now Playing: _Just Be Friends_ by Luka Megurine and _Vanilla Twilight_ by Owl City

* * *

**Secret World**

_Don't you know that the sky's more beautiful at night?_

* * *

_Start-up_

.

.

.

He asked for her cellphone number in the most unromantic place and in the most unromantic way.

The cafeteria, recess time. He was chomping down lasagna on a Styrofoam plate, bits of orange sauce stuck on his boyish face. Judging by how he was eating, she could tell clearly and well enough that he was hungry, probably caused by the uninteresting classes he had this morning. She was just passing by after getting several books from her locker. No one warned her about his plan.

He brought out a piece of scrunched-up intermediate pad with boyish doodles from his pant pocket. Guns, stick men and swords on one side. The piece of paper was soiled, most likely because it came into contact with so many other hands. The other side was clean, just a few pen strokes here and there.

"Can I get your number? I'll text you later."

"Since when did you have a cellphone?"

"Just now."

She was staring at him skeptically and a bit disgusted. His boyish manners and lack of "_finesse_" while eating earned him a raised eyebrow from the girl he likes. He was all 'what's the matter?' while his friends merely shrugged and snickered at him, especially the blond one with the cool, crystal blue eyes and swept-back hair. The stoic brunette tried _very hard_to stifle his laughter (to no avail, really) while the other blond, the one with the radical hairstyle, kept a straight face (which was slowly crumbling to chuckles). All three friends burst into laughter while she was writing her digits on the piece of paper.

"What the heck is wrong with you guys?" Hwoarang hastily stood up from his seat, morsels of sauce and meat flying at his friends' direction. All four men started running around the cafeteria like convicts released from prison, howls of laughter echoing in the arid air.

Xiaoyu sighed and shook her head. She placed the pen and paper down on the table and walked away. "_Boys_."

* * *

_Gals_

_._

_._

_._

"_Can I have Christie, Asuka and Lili's cellphone numbers?"_

She shrugged. No harm. Her friends were generally harmless. If there was no food and cute boys involved, no harm at all.

But what irked her was this: Why was he asking for Lili's number?

Xiaoyu quirked an eyebrow. Her friends seated down on their dining table was surprised. "Xiao-Xiao, is something the matter?" Christie asked, leaning forward to reach for her friend's cellphone.

"Hwoa's asking for your numbers," the pigtailed lady dropped her phone in her friends' capable hands and proceeded to wash the dishes on their sink. She lost her verve to text him.

"Our numbers are fine," Asuka said all of a sudden. "But why is he asking for Lili's digits?"

Pigtailed girl shrugged. Spunky girl grinned. Sexy girl smiled and shook her head. "We're the only ones who can flirt with your boyfriend, hon," Christie winked at the pigtailed girl, who retaliated by simply sticking her tongue out.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" Xiaoyu whined.

Xiaoyu had to admit: her friends were cracked.

But she was just as cracked as they were.

That's what made them friends, after all.

* * *

_Terminator 3_

_._

_._

_._

"_Hey!"_

_Eh? _

"_What'cha doing?"_

_Nothing, really. Just talking to you and my girls. You?_

It was true, though. Nothing interesting was happening that night. No parties, no late-night talk-a-thons and phone line burning and nothing interesting was up that evening. All the ladies and gentlemen of the class were in their respective homes, preparing themselves for a dreamless night.

"_Watch with me. Channel 5."_

_Channel 5? What is it, porn?_

"_NO! Why the heck would I watch porn?"_

_Because you seem like the type to watch adult movies._

"_What's so adult about Terminator 3?"_

_I don't know..._

"_Lars is gonna get a kick out of this movie. Got to tell him about this."_

xxxxx

"Lars once asked Alisa to watch Terminator with him," Asuka said nonchalantly as she threw her unopened soda can in the air. "Man, is _he_ dense."

"Terminator? Isn't that the movie about robots being crushed?..." Xiaoyu said mindlessly until she finally got it. "_Oh_."

Well, Hwoarang was right. Lars _did_ get a kick out of the movie. He went straight to the school infirmary that morning because of a steel boot.

* * *

_Magic Joke_

.

.

.

"_Okay, here goes. Think of two consecutive numbers. For example, five and six. Just make sure that they won't go over 10."_

Two and three were the first two numbers that came into her mind. One is such a lonely number. The solitary feeling that washed over her right after she thought of the number one dried up when her cellphone vibrated in her hands again.

"_And don't tell me. Just keep in to yourself."_

She laughed at him. She was about to tell him the numbers she chose, but that wouldn't make it a magic trick now, would it? _Okay. I got them. What's next?_

"_You know the larger number, right? Add five to it."_

She hated math with the might of a thousand men. Math, President Mishima once told the students, always aimed to make complicated things much simpler. She always saw it the other way around. So three plus five equals eight. _Got it again. What's next?_

"_Add the smaller number to six."_

She didn't find this magic joke amusing. Wasn't magic supposed to be mystifying the audience with glitter and gold? She merely grinned and shook her head. And she thought that _she_ was childish. Two plus six equals eight, too. _Got it again. What's next?_

"_Subtract your previous answer from your new answer."_

She almost didn't get it. What? Things don't really make sense to her. Still, eight minus eight would leave her empty-handed.

"_What's taking you?"_

Impatient. Like a child. _I got it. Where's the magic?_

"_The answer's zero."_

That was it?

"_Neat magic trick, isn't it?"_

Xiaoyu could definitely feel the childish grin from the other side. She couldn't help but laugh as well. _Idiot head._

* * *

_A question_

_._

_._

_._

_Hey, I have a question. _

She uneasily bit her lip.

"_What?"_

_Do you still_

She shook her head and pressed the 'clear' button until her screen was wiped clean. Turning her head from the screen didn't help, either. She lied awake on her bed, her dark room dimly lit by her cellphone screen. She could make out imaginary constellations from the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. _Orion_, she told herself. Three stars hung above her that emanated a soft, sun-absorbed light. _Never mind. Forget what I said._

Sending messages were much smoother at night. The signal was at its peak, just like sending letters back and forth day by day.

"_What is it? You were about to ask something."_

_I told you to forget about it. _She replied coldly. Truth be told, she was _dying_ to ask him that question but knowing the answer might hurt her. The waters around them were too low but tides flow in too rapidly. They might drown if they won't be careful.

Especially her.

"_Fine then. If you won't ask me, then I just might go to sleep."_

Clever. His reply made her bit her lip. _If I ask you... will you answer it truthfully?_

"_Of course."_

_Really?_

"_Cross my heart and hope that I won't die."_

_Okay then. I'll ask you._

"_I'm listening."_

Silence. The rapid exchange of messages made her feel dizzy. She felt light-headed. The water was getting to her and she was gonna drown.

Xiaoyu swore that she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She pressed the 'send' button and sent the message– _the question_– flying with electric waves.

_Do you still love me?_

* * *

_An answer_

_._

_._

_._

"_Of course I do."_

His reply made her heart stop. She thought that she was _nothing_ to him. She thought that his feelings for her suddenly vanished along with their once-happy relationship. After all, wasn't it _he_ who said that everything would all be better if they just remained friends? And _he_ said that _he didn't want to_ end it. As much as he wanted to go on, there were circumstances that separated the two of them.

_Sure?_

"_Yeah."_

_Really? No joke?_

"_Yeah."_

_Honestly? You're not lying?_

"_I said yeah."_

_You're not mad, are you?_

"_Eh? Why would I get mad?"_

_Because you sound mad._

"_I'm not mad. This is what makes me happy, you know."_

Xiaoyu was close to tears. If only he knew how much he crushed her heart at that moment. Of all the guys in the world that she could fall in love with, why _him_?

And of all the girls he could choose, why _her_?

* * *

_Regret?_

_._

_._

_._

"_We weren't supposed to be together, you know."_

_I know._

"_There was another girl. Even before I met you. But it happened. You borrowed my goggles and there._

_Poof."_

What? Did she just see right? Another girl? But Hwoarang wasn't interested in courting girls! (Although he _did_ have a playful side...) Steve, Jin and Lars told her that themselves! She couldn't believe her eyes.

_No way!... Who was the girl?_

"_Her name's Amy. You don't really know her."_

_No, I don't._

She could definitely feel herself giggling. Who knew that the almighty lord of the streets had a weakness for girls? And Amy... judging by her name, she seems like a pretty quiet girl. Probably looks just like him, too. Red hair, maybe? The thought really made her laugh.

_Hey._

"_What?"_

_Did I ruin your plans?_

"_Nope."_

_Did you ever regret meeting me?_

"_Nope."_

_Did you ever regret our relationship, even though it was really a short-lived one?_

"_Nope. Not at all."_

Her tears were warm, rolling down her cheeks relentlessly. Her giggles turned into sullen cries. As much as she wanted to cry, there were still so many questions she wanted to ask him. Still so much more to learn from him and understand.

_What did you like about me? _

She knew that she was nothing special. Nothing extraordinary, too. She was simply just a part of the street and a face in the crowd.

But she was spirited. Her dreams may be way over her head, but she stood as high as she could to reach them.

"_Well... Because you're pretty. And cute."_

A smile. A smile, a smile, a smile. She pressed on further.

_And?_

"_Your eyes."_

_Eh? What about my eyes?_

"_They're really cute. You know, Chinese-like."_

_Mind you, I really am Chinese. _

"_Your eyes are pretty."_

And her eyes were drowning in overwhelming salty tears. He made her stand up tallest and made her fall down deepest. She always told him that she wished that she never met him. But at the back of her mind, she's really thankful that she had.

_I like your eyes too. They're really honest._

* * *

_I want to eat you_

.

.

.

"We saw him! He was just wearing a sexy undershirt and boxer shorts!"

"He has a wicked pair of biceps!"

"Hot stuff. Definitely!"

xxxxx

"_Aside from being a half-Olympian, I'm a part-creature, too."_

Hwoarang and his sudden nonsense outbursts. It made her smile to no end. Sometimes for her, his senselessness kind of made sense. Sometimes, he was too light-hearted for her. Sometimes, he was just too hard to reach.

His craziness is contagious.

_And I'm an Amazonian. I eat creatures._

"_Oh, so you're gonna eat me?"_

_If given a chance, yes, I will._

"_The best way to eat me? Start from the feet going up."_

_No. I just want your arms._

"_My arms? What about my arms?"_

_The girls in my class told me something about you._

"_What?"_

_It's. A. Secret! _

Xiaoyu refused to share him with anyone else. As usual, his playfulness with girls led him to asking questions.

_Shut up! I swear I am SO going to eat you when we meet tomorrow!_

* * *

_Son of Hades_

.

.

.

He promised to text her again after 30 minutes or so. It was already pretty obvious that he couldn't keep his hands off his phone when he sent her text saying that he was a half-blood.

"_Yep. I'm a half-blood. Half-man and half-idiot."_

She laughed, nodding to herself and agreeing to what he said. Compared to all the other idiots she knew, he was definitely a smart one.

"_I'm the Son of Hades."_

So that would make him the Prince of the Underworld, right? She only sighed and smiled ruefully. He was right again. He _is_ the son of the devil on earth. A prince from a kingdom underneath this world she knew. Her hands held her phone in place, the little cursor blinking anxiously. _You really are an id_

Before she could even finish her reply, the cellphone vibrated in her hands.

"_What's taking you so long to reply?"_

Xiaoyu dismissed her thoughts and pressed the buttons furiously, smiling a little to herself. _Whatever you say, wonder boy. _

Yes, Hwoarang _is_ an idiot.

But he is _her_ idiot.

* * *

_Argument_

_._

_._

_._

Time-out. Cool-off. A break.

There was _no_ way she was gonna talk to him. He's gonna give in sooner or later. She remained silent for how many minutes, queasily waiting for his apology. Her pink cellphone beeped.

"_Lili's number and Zafina's number, please."_

Mind over matter, Xiaoyu told herself. When she read that message, she wanted to throw her cellphone on a wall so that the problem's over. Damn it. Why was she always the one to give in first?

_Wait a sec. I'll send it to you._

* * *

_A little help_

_._

_._

_._

"_Having a little trouble with Rang, aren't we, lady?"_

Jin Kazama! _Ahgk. How did you know?_

"_I was talking to him a while ago. Texting would be a more appropriate term, but what the heck. I see that you two are on a date."_

What in the devil's light was he _talking_ about? Xiaoyu was at her grandmother's house, not traipsing around the city with a gang lord! _What date? We're not on a date!_

"_Tsk. I knew it. The sly devil was joking around with me. But I was right about the argument, wasn't I?"_

_Yeah. A question, Kazama._

"_I'm listening."_

Xiaoyu breathed in and pressed the keypad furiously. _How do you think will a girl feel if the guy she loves very, very much is talking and asking about other girls while the two of them were talking?_

"_Well... She'd be mighty annoyed, I guess."_

_Precisely! _She grinned to herself. _At least you know how it feels._

"_Heh. Rang's just joking around with you too, lady. Take it from me. He's an ass sometimes. A womanizer behind his lazy and obnoxious facade, true... But he told us himself."_

_He told you that...?_

"_There's only one girl who gives him butterflies in his stomach. And you should have seen the look on his face when he said 'butterflies'. He looked like he was gonna barf them up."_

_Who is the girl?_

"_It's you, lady."_

* * *

_Reacting much?_

_._

_._

_._

_I'm holding a grudge because I want you to romance me._

_Lol. Joke._

_I'm really holding a grudge._

_But seriously._

_Do something romantic, idiot._

_Good Afternoon! :)_

_-GM_

She did mean it to be a group message. She found that little ramble quite cute, and she wanted to greet her other friends a good afternoon.

"_What did I do wrong?"_

What the heck? She was smiling to herself all of a sudden!

_Reacting much?_

"_Of course!"_

No matter what game they played, Hwoarang would always win. Not win the game, really... but he would always win over her again and again.

* * *

_Fly to where I am_

_._

_._

_._

_It's really cold where I am right now. How about you? Must have a lot of pretty girls there, ne? It sucks being alone._

"_Nope. I'm alone, too."_

_Hey, fly to where I am. _

She remained curled up on her bed, the evening breeze freezing her to death and loneliness. She was just kidding about the 'fly to where I am' thing, but she really, really, _really_ and _desperately_ wanted him to fly to where she was. _What's taking you?_

"_I told you that I'm an Olympian, didn't I? Wait a sec, I'll go get my Pegasus."_

_Fine. I'll wait for you._

Honestly, how childish could they both get? The whole time they we're talking about flying made her laugh.

"_Look outside your window."_

_I kick you when I see you outside my window. _

"_I'll fart at you."_

Thinking of Hwoarang and knowing that he was there for her even though they were too far apart from each other made the loneliness more bearable.

Xiaoyu doesn't feel so alone anymore.

* * *

_Do you whistle?_

_._

_._

_._

"_Hey, I have a question."_

It was another one of those evenings again. Those nights she was curled up on her bed like a new-born kitten deprived of warmth and security. The coldness of the atmosphere made everything even solitary. She wanted the nights to be quick and quiet... But she never wanted her conversations with him to end at all, no matter how lonely the night was.

_What is it?_

"_Do you whistle?"_

_Whistle? Everyone whistles._

"_Whistle's another term for wanking. You know that, right?"_

His screws were really off his head while she was laughing her head off again. His questions really take him to unexpected places. _Oh... You're whistling right now? I'm sorry. Just text me when you're done, okay?_

"_Hey, I was just joking."_

_Hwoarang, don't joke around with me. I know just as much as you do, nitwit._

"_Sorry."_

_But 'whistle' is a nice term. You're whistling right now, aren't you? XD_

"_I said I was joking!"_

Hwoarang really knew how to warm up her blustery evenings.

* * *

_Argument yet again_

_._

_._

_._

_If you have SO MANY pretty girls there with you, why talk to me? Go on. Just enjoy spending your time with your girls there. I hope you're having a BLAST!_

She tossed her phone on the bed and buried her face on her plush pillow. A muffled, high-pitched scream of agony was released. Emotions, all bottled up like bombs tossed into the air, were let go of, accompanied by tears and fears and uncertainty.

She wasn't so sure anymore. Love might not really be able to save them.

Xiaoyu wasn't even able to save herself from him. What more could love do?

* * *

_Sorry. Please?_

_._

_._

_._

"_Xiao, I'm sorry."_

_When you hurt me, you said 'sorry'._

_When you left me, you said 'sorry'._

_What the heck? How long are you gonna apologize to me?_

_Maybe it's about time I should say sorry, too._

_I'm really sorry if I loved you. Don't worry. It won't happen again._

She stared at the message she typed in, hesitant in pressing the 'send' button. She wanted to give up. She wanted to give in to the tides so badly but she was still holding onto a thread of hope. She wanted to quit... but knowing that he was holding the other end of that thread gave her the strength to battle the waves. She backtracked and wiped her screen clean again.

_Sorry for what?_

"_If you got jealous again..."_

_It's my nature to get jealous easily. Now you know._

"_Yeah, I do. I'm sorry."_

_Right._

"_Sorry. Please?"_

Why was she always the first one to give in so easily? _Why?_

_Okay. Apology accepted. _

* * *

_I love you_

_._

_._

_._

He didn't go to school the next day.

He was supposed to tell her something important, but he didn't show up.

A day passed without the two of them speaking. A day passed by with her not seeing him at all. Her cellphone was silent all day, not receiving a single text message from her favorite text mate. No 'hi's or 'hello's or random messages about whistling and the likes.

xxxxx

She was scribbling notes on her room desk when her phone started bleeping and vibrating. It startled her so much that her writing went out of sync all of a sudden. A text message would've been a shorter alert.

He was calling her.

"Hello?" she delicately placed the receiver on her ear, hearing a little bit of static from the other side.

"_Xiao. It's me."_

It was the idiot himself. Why the heck was he calling her? She brought a hand to her eye and tried to force the tears back inside. "Hwoarang... Ughn."

"_Hey, hey. No crying, lady. I just called to see if you were okay..."_

"Do I sound like I'm okay?" she raged at him. "I _missed_ you, you big idiot!"

"_I know, I know," _he chuckled. _"It's pretty obvious."_

"Why didn't you go to school today, idiot?"

"_I was busy. Ah, crap. I gotta go. Pops'll be here in just a few seconds. I better get the rice ready."_

"Oh. I see..."

"_I love you."_

Ahgk! What the heck? She didn't have time to respond anymore! He caught her off-guard. _"Well, better get cooking! Night. I'll see you tomorrow."_

And with that, the phone was set down. Xiaoyu stood up from her desk and walked around her room, pacing a little bit. She let her hair loose, untying the pink ribbons looped around her pigtails. She ran her fingers through her hair over and over, replaying in her head what just happened a while ago.

"_I love you."_

She could still hear his voice in her head, as well as the little static waves on the other line. She couldn't help but smile. Xiaoyu picked up her phone from her desk and began to compose a message. She wanted to keep things short for now.

_I love you too, bone head. Look outside your window for a sec. Don't you know that the sky's more beautiful at night? Look at all those stars... _

She wasn't expecting a reply from him, but it came. _"I know a lot of stars up there in that sky. But none of those stars could beat the light coming from you."_

_Cheesy. But thanks..._

"_We'll keep it down a bit. Be quiet a little bit, too. I guess I'll meet you at our secret world. Don't be late."_

_I'll be there. I'm more afraid that you might fall asleep before you arrive. XD_

"_I'll be there, too. I'll meet you there. Swear."_

_I love you, idiot. _

"_I love you too, Xiaoyu."_


	16. Timing

-insert disclaimer-

Sei: -nailing the door closed- Oh, hey there, everyone. This time, I'm not letting anyone interrupt me from my not-so-important announcement. I don't have any annoying co-hosts! -evil cackle-

Dragunov: …

Sei: Uh, okay... So I do have a co-host, but he's the perfect one! :D

Dragunov: …

Sei: So, allow me to say that–

-From outside- Steve: Hell Fire!

**Ka-pow!**

Sei: Wh-Why the heck did you blow up the place, Steve?

Steve: Because you're gonna take up so much screen time again! C'mon! Cut the crap and disclaim!

Sei: But I–!

Steve: Don't make me drag you away like what Hwoa did.

Sei: Argh! I... I... Ooh, I am sooo going to kick you out of these oneshots!

Dragunov: …

Sei: I don't own **Tekken**! I just own a copy of the game, no more! There, you happy now, boxing idiot?

Now Playing: _I Like You, I Love You_ by Rin Kagamine

* * *

**Timing**

Maybe this time, she was going to get it right.

She faithfully waited for him every day. Right there. Always waiting for the perfect timing. She could say that every timing was perfect; she was the one goofing up every attempt she made. She couldn't help it if she always shrunk whenever he came around.

Leo's friends always propped her from behind, whispering words of encouragement before giving her a gentle push towards her object of affection _and_ fear.

Fear wasn't really the right word. She never felt scared when he was around. Perhaps a bit intimidated, but _fear_? Not quite the right word. _Intimidated_, yes. His eyes were distant. Sapphire and piercing cold. One reason why she always goofed up every time she attempted to _spit it out_ would have to be his intimidating eyes.

"_I... I don't think I can handle the intensity of... of his cold gaze. I think I'm gonna freeze... Or maybe even worse: __melt__." _

It was true, though. His stare may be as cold and blustery as the Arctic, but deep inside her, she felt like melting... Melting into mush.

"_Uh-huh... Sometimes I wish I could just melt into a puddle of mush and evaporate."_

She had so many impeccable timings already, always ruined by her goofing up and him always (unknowingly) intimidating her. She blamed herself most of the time for being so darn shy. Why can't she just spit it out and get things over with?

She always told herself that there's always gonna be a next time. In truth, after this summer, there _won't_ be a next time for her. After this academic year and start of summer, she, as well as the rest of the graduating class, would be headed to different roads and streets. Oh, yes. She might not be able to see him anymore, let alone talk to him ever again... She made sure that she was gonna accomplish her mission before the start of summer.

"_Before everything ends." _

Leo told herself that this time, she won't fail. She won't back down this time.

Maybe this time, she was going to get it right.

* * *

"Kliesen and Dragunov."

Said girl lifted her head from her text book. Said guy stared blankly at their teacher. Said girl's friends threw knowing giggles at her. Said girl did nothing to retaliate. Against her friends, she was defeated. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"..."

"You two will be in charge of feeding Pancake and cleaning the science equipment after this period," their devious silver-haired teacher said. Mister Lee really had a knack for teasing his cute student. He was aware of the crush the petite blond had on the stalwart silent disciplinary prefect.

Dragunov always demanded perfection. She was nowhere near perfect...

And yet that made the whole relationship more interesting.

Leo slowly turned to Dragunov, who was actually looking at her as well. A rush of heat immediately went to her face. Lee saw their wordless interaction and smiled to himself. "You're the only one who can come near Dragunov without being incinerated," he chuckled. "Lucky, lucky."

And like as if it was on cue, the school bell rang, signifying the end of their debonair teacher's period. _Dismissal time._

"Now, Sergei," Lee said as he bundled his class records and lessons. "Don't go leaving Miss Kliesen to clean the room all alone."

"B-But, sir! Sergei has a lot of duties as the students' disciplinary committee chairman! I-I can clean the science room‒" the blond girl protested. Little by little, the classroom was emptied.

"Sergei may be the head prefect, but he's still a student of this school just like you, Leo," Lee grinned as he slid his purple-tinted sunglasses on. "Be sure to lock the room before you go."

"S-Sir!"

"Bye-bye!"

"..."

Leo blankly stared at the open door. Dragunov stood beside her, staring out into space as well. The petite girl sighed in defeat, rolling up her sleeves. "Well, this room ain't gonna clean itself!" she said with a cheerful smile on her face. "I'll clean the room, Sergei. Go do your prefect duties. Those duties are much more important than cleaning... uh..."

She watched as the pale titan walked towards their caged friend. "..."

"Oh, d-do you want to feed Pancake? We have some fresh carrots here," she said, bustling to the basket under the white rabbit's cage. "Here you go!"

He stared at the held-out carrot, not quite sure what to do with it. She smiled understandingly. "I'll show you."

She opened their furry friend's cage and smiled. "Hello, Pancake. Sergei and I will be the ones to feed you today!" Carefully, she slid in one hand and placed the fresh orange vegetable right in front of the cream-colored rabbit's nose. Its ears twitched, followed by its nose. Its red eyes blinked at her and it finally began nibbling on the carrot.

"..."

"Pancake, uh... isn't really much to look at, Sergei," Leo looked up at the stalwart prefect standing beside her. Dragunov always had this air of order wafting around him. Realizing how much of a clumsy little ditz she is made her even more nervous than usual. _"I... I have to be careful."_

"Uh, right! I'll start cleani‒ whoa!"

She spoke too soon.

"Oww..."

Dragunov looked down at the petite blond splayed on the tiled ground, her back against the cold floor. Leo could sense him staring at her, particularly at her thighs. Was there anything wrong?

"S-Sergei?..."

"_Crap. Just my luck." _

Her skirt flew up when she fell.

And it only dawned upon her now that she was wearing shorts underneath her skirt. _An act prohibited by the school. _

"_I-I'm gonna be punished!" _

The silent prefect reached out for her. Her hands blocked her face on impulse.

He stopped midway.

She was shivering. Bits of liquid crystals formed on the corners of her eyes. Was she going to be punished?

Dragunov saw the rabbit in the same manner as he stared at it; trembling in fear under the intensity of icy gaze, even though it had no apparent reason to be scared.

He bent down on his knee and reached for her lifted-up skirt.

"Ah..."

And pulled it down again.

"S-Sergei, I..." Leo sat up, trembling in fear. Seeing her in that state triggered a never-before felt feeling inside him.

He was the disciplinary committee president, following the example of his predecessors. He was void of all his emotions so that he could perform his duty without fail.

And... And yet, this... sheepish little doll trembling before him gave him one look that made him feel close to _melting_.

"Um... Will I get a punishment for this?..." Leo spoke softly. She innocently turned her opalescent blue eyes to him, expecting some sort of a lashing. Dragunov continued to stare at her with the same icy and expressionless gaze he gave her a while ago.

He shook his head. She brightened up.

"Oh, thank you, Sergei!"

Not that he shook his head because of that. He was... kind of trying to rid himself of the feeling inside his chest. What was it that hammered in his heart so when he laid eyes on this awkwardly adorable girl right before him?

Funny how a withdrawn girl accidentally showing you her ducky boxers and trembling like she was going to die could actually ignite a feeling inside someone.

The silence between them made everything serene again.

Dragunov couldn't take his eyes off her at that moment. His eyes darted at the most unlikely places. His eyes treaded the length of her legs, which were slightly parted at the moment. _Slim_. Her lithe figure set her apart from her buxom friends. Those girls were pretty well-rounded.

Not that this girl wasn't well-rounded... It's just that she still retained every bit of childlikeness in her body that should have left long ago.

At first he thought of it as ridiculous. Then again, that's what set her apart from the mediocre of girls in their school.

The two of them sat down on the floor, sharing an awkwardly serene silence between then.

"Thank you, Sergei..." once again, the petite blond spoke. Her mass of sunlight tinted strands were tousled up, a curtain of it covering a bit of her eye. "It's, uh... a good thing I wore cute underwear today," she giggled. Sooner, the fit of giggles turned into laughter. "I'm pretty clumsy, aren't I? But I assure you, I know my way around things."

And cue the uncomfortable silence once more.

...

Maybe this time, she was going to get it right.

"_Could... could this be the perfect time to..." _Leo perked up. She surveyed their surroundings for a moment and finally breathed in. This time, she was going to get it right. _"I'm gonna get it right!" _

"Hey, Sergei, I have something to tell you‒"

"Ah, DC Chairman, there you are!" A certain braided brunette beauty poked her head in the science room. "And Leo's there, too!"

"H-Hi, Jules..." Leo's lips formed a lopsided smile. _"Ah... Attempt foiled again."_

"Sergei, you're needed in the student council office," Julia said with a smile. "You're on cleaning duty?"

"Um... um... yeah," the blond fidgeted in her place. "But it's okay! Sergei is the disciplinary committee chairman. It's only natural that he should be there since he works hand in hand with the other chairman."

Leo smiled at the irresponsive disciplinary chairman, yet he only stared at her. His stare was rather a questioning one. Like he was asking...

_What were you going to tell me?_

"I-It's all right, Sergei," she waved her hand at him. "It's... nothing important, really."

The prefect gave her one last look and turned down. He got up on his feet and walked out of the room.

The room just felt even quieter and emptier now. The girl left alone could only stare at the door as if she was in a dreamy trance. Her eyes welled up with tears again, but she didn't seem to mind it at all. She whispered to herself, or maybe to the air.

"_DC Chairman_... I like you."

* * *

He once walked in on her while she was tidying up their classroom. Just as soon as his figure reached her line of sight, her knees turned to jelly. "S-Sergei! I... Uh, good afternoon," she said with a lopsided smile. Her voice went out the wrong pipe. Her greeting sounded more of a squeak.

Leo tried to ignore her voice slip-up by smiling at him. Dragunov, on the other hand, simply stared at her curved-up lips, oblivious to the warmth emanating from her. She couldn't even look at him straight, and then her eyes fell on his unbuttoned collar. His scarlet necktie was loose and hanging languidly over his broad chest.

Ah, that warmth. Strangely, he found her warmth to be quite alluring. Why was it that he was the only one enticed by such an awkward pheromone?

Today was their graduation photo shoot. Since the girls were already done with their shots and picture taking, it was the boys' turn to have their pictures taken. "You must be looking for the guys. They just headed down to the photo studio."

Heeding her words, he turned back and made his way to the door.

"Oh, y-your tie is, um..."

Her voice made him pause on his track. He turned around and fiddled with the clothing article to no avail. Seemed like all he was good at was destroying stuff. She stepped up and smiled nervously. "May I?"

He held her gaze for a moment, the feeling of melting invading her thoughts again. His hands dropped to his side. Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips, _his scar_, then to his sloppily-knotted necktie. She lifted her hands to his collar and delicately untangled the knot he made. His scarlet necktie had such a smooth and silky texture. She felt like she was actually touching heaven.

"Your necktie is lovely," she said in an attempt to start a conversation. "Where did you buy it?... O-Or maybe it's from your hometown..."

Dragunov only stared at the petite blond, watching her fingers as they carefully twined a fitting knot on his necktie. He took note that her fingers were quite short and slim, like her legs. Little scars of dedication were visible on her small hands. He made a slight comparison of her hands with his own. His hands were long. He also had rigid fingers with a stale touch. His palms were callous, stiffened by hard work and disciplining his fellow students.

As much as he was tempted to touch her hands, she just finished knotting his tie. Her hands met behind her. She gave him another uneasy smile. "There you go. Um... good luck with your pictorial."

Dragunov raised his hand and ruffled her hair, something she wasn't prepared for. They stood there for a good half-minute, his hand entangled in her messy short hair, her face slowly and steadily warming up. It must have been a dizzy spell that caused her to actually think that he was leaning down toward her.

"_Wha‒!"_

"Ah, Serg! There you are!" Hwoarang's cheerful voice lightened up the atmosphere. When they heard their classmate's voice cut through the solid air, the disciplinary prefect's hand left the wallflower's blond hair and took a step back. The two of them stared at the slowly-opening door and was greeted by the boisterous redhead and the pragmatic Lars.

"_Was he... about to kiss me?..."_

"Hey, disciplinary committee president! It's your turn to hit the spotlight!" the redhead went on until his eyes rested on the tiny figure standing behind the disciplinary committee president. "Oh, it's you, _Koori-hime_."

"I... Um..." Leo struggled for words. They never really came out that easy...

"It's the chairman's turn to have his picture taken, Leo," Lars said with an understanding smile on his face. He was one of the few persons who knew about her long-standing crush on their mysteriously charming committee chairman. "We're here to pick him up. Have you said everything you had to say, Leo?"

"Uh, yeah," she nodded eagerly. She simply hated being under Hwoarang's radar. To get things over with, she just went along and said yes, without even understanding what Lars meant when he asked her.

"Good!" the taller blond smiled kindly at her again. The redhead clamped his hands on the stalwart silent prefect's shoulder and gently shoved him out of their classroom. Lars walked behind them, shaking his head while a knowing smile curved on his lips. He closed the door behind him, leaving Leo alone once again.

"Lars..." she uttered softly, pondering on his words for a moment. Something felt wrong...

"Ah, shoot!" she hurriedly opened the door, only to find the desolate afternoon corridors of their school. "Sergei! I-I forgot to tell you something..."

_Messed up again. _

"I... like you..."

* * *

"Ah! A-Are you all right?"

She found him with a bloodied forearm. On his arm was a long gash, bright scarlet liquid oozing out of the wound. He clutched his wrist tightly, trying to prevent more blood flow. Frantically, she ran to his side and dragged him to the infirmary, despite his silent protests.

"Wh-What happened? Where did you get this wound?" her voice quavered as she fumbled to open the clinic door. As usual, he responded with silence. Seeing how the little blond was struggling to get the door open with one hand, Sergei let go of his wound and opened the door himself. It slid open effortlessly, revealing an immaculately white room, the room of healing, more known as the school infirmary.

"Miss Nina? Aah, where could she be?" Leo panicked when their school nurse was nowhere to be found in the curing shelter. "Aahh what do I do what do I do what will I do?"

She looked around and the reality hit her hard. Their school nurse really wasn't there in the infirmary.

"Okay, okay… calm down, girl," she chided herself out loud. "You've studied how to clean a wound, so this shouldn't be a hard task to accomplish!"

Perking up, she led the still silent disciplinary chairman to the bed, motioning him to sit. "Just remember what Miss Michelle taught you in class last quarter."

Bustling energetically in the clinic, she grabbed all the necessary paraphernalia and placed them on the bedside table. "Let's see… Basin of water, clean towel, a bottle of alcohol, cotton swabs, gauze, tweezers… Ah, right! I'll need a stool, too."

Dragunov eyed the helplessly devoted girl walk around the place. Her giant strides were mere baby steps to him. Those giant strides of hers will take her to faraway places; and even though her steps were small compared to his, there was a high possibility that she was way ahead of him.

_Ah, what is this feeling?..._

Leo just finished shoving a chair before her patient. "Whew. Okay! Let's get this party started!"

She mentally slapped herself. _"Me and my big mouth…" _

"Sorry about that," she laughed nervously. "Can I see your arm?"

She reached for his gashed arm. It was slight, but she saw a flicker of pain on his face. She couldn't possibly be imagining things at the moment.

His teeth clenched as her fingertips brushed on his arm. The heat of her small hands amplified the burning sensation from the wound. She bit her lip after seeing the pained expression on his face. At that moment, her energy dissipated; she wasn't even strong enough to examine his wound.

"Um… it's not a very deep wound… but I think it'll take a while to patch up."

Without saying another word, she started cleaning his cut. She dipped the pristine white towel into the cool water and gave it a light wringing before placing it over the wound. She gently wiped the sides of the gash, thinking to herself that it was going to leave a mark on his pale skin.

While she busied herself tending to his wound, Sergei did the same thing he did every time they were near each other. Watch. He had to admit, she was good at this.

This wasn't the first time he's been this close to her, but as he recalled each time they were mere breaths apart from each other, they became reminders of a screwed-up proverbial saying.

_What you see is what you get._

No. that wasn't true. Not everything that he saw became his. That wasn't even close enough. _He didn't get everything that he wanted. _

And as of that moment, there was nothing else he wanted more than _her_.

Leo was there. Close enough to hold. Close enough to touch. But was never close enough to have for his own.

_Wanting. What a strange feeling. _

She dabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton swab on the wound. His wound was smoldering.

Dragunov's hand balled up into a fist. He only thought he succeeded in masking his pain, but Leo saw him flinch.

He wondered why she stopped.

Leo bit her lip again in an attempt to compose herself, but her tears got the better of her.

"I-I'm sorry…" she cried. "I-It's just that… you're always hurt like this a-and yet you… you never even speak a single word at all, even if you're in pain!"

Sergei watched her as she wiped her tears and nose with her sleeves. Even as she dried her eyes, tears welled up in them again, overflowing to her cheeks.

"Please, Sergei… When you're in pain, please say something!"

_Fragile. _

It looked like she was more hurt than him, even though she was unscathed at all. While he, the guy with the five-inch slash on his left arm was unfazed. Well, he only thought that he was. She wasn't really hurt _more than_ him, she was hurt _for_ him. It only dawned upon him when an iridescent tear dropped on his open palm.

A tear.

_This is what makes up an emotion. And a result of… experiencing pain. _

It was hot. It was the same warmth that lured him to her. He lifted his hand to her face and gently wiped away her tears. For the much-feared disciplinary chairman to show affection for someone was a serious matter.

_Leo._ She will be his undoing. She just penetrated his shield.

"Ah… Y-Your wound…" she sputtered all of a sudden. "That's good… The bleeding stopped."

He held her face in his hand, wondering. She was so warm. He wondered if he could keep a bit of her warmth to himself…

"Let's wrap it up so that it won't get infected, mmkay?" Leo sniffed. She unfurled a roll of gauze and started winding it around Dragunov's scarred arm. "Try not to move your arm too much. The bleeding just stopped. If you hold still for a while, it'll give your body time to regenerate and, uh… you know, for your skin to grow and stuff."

"…"

"Sergei is something wrong with my face?" she giggled. "You've been touching it for quite a while now…"

"…"

She looked down all of a sudden. "You know, I've been meaning to tell you something, but I… um… Sergei?..."

He was drawing her closer to him. "Aah… Um, S-Sergei…"

"_What are you doing? I'm gonna melt!"_

"But I'm telling you, Nina-sensei! DC Chairman was more wounded than I am!" thundered a voice from outside the infirmary. Not a moment later, the door slid open. "He just staggered away from the scene and‒ Ah! He's here!"

A bewildered Dragunov and an even more bewildered Leo turned to people standing at the doorway.

"DC Chairman_!_" a pigtailed petite approached the wounded disciplinary chairman. "You disappeared before I could even thank you! Leo-chan, did you help DC Chairmanclean his wound?"

"Ah, yes. He just appeared from out of nowhere with a bloody arm!" the petite blond responded. "What happened, Xiaoyu?"

Xiaoyu crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Well, we were replacing a sign in the classroom. I took the liberty to do it myself since I know that I have great balance… it seemed like I settled on one side of the chair too much that I caused it to tip over."

"Ah…"

"I thought for sure that I was gonna fall, but DC Chairmansuddenly appeared from who knows where and broke my fall," Xiaoyu bowed down. "Thank you so much, DC Chairman! You even received a wound…"

"…"

"Would it be all right if I watch over DC Chairman while he rests up? I'm pretty sure that he needs to recover and stuff… And that's the only thing I can do right now to repay him," Xiaoyu smiled. "So, Leo-chan, I'll take over from here!"

"Oh. Well, um… okay then," Leo forced a grin to grace her lips. She turned to the prefect and smiled at him. "Xiaoyu's gonna take care of you, so be nice to her."

"…"

_Stay._

She smiled at him and shook her head. Her hands were reaching for his, but suddenly withdrew. "Don't overexert yourself. Don't do anything reckless anymore."

Leo stood up from the chair and made her way to the door. "I used some of the supplies on Sergei, Miss Nina. I hope you don't mind."

"Good girl," the elder blond nodded at her.

As soon as she stepped out of the infirmary, she was in a trance again. She touched her face; her fingertips traced her cold cheek.

"Sergei… I really…" she sighed in defeat. "Darnit, I love you."

* * *

The student disciplinary committee chairman was motionless in bed. He languorously gazed outside the window beside him, thinking.

The sunlight was too bright. It was warm, too. But he was looking for a different kind of warmth.

Yes. The kind of warmth only _she _could offer.

"Oi, DC Chairman_,_" Miss Pigtails called his attention. He turned back to his current guardian, the same expressionless visage painted on his face. "You like her, don't you?"

"…"

"It's all right, DC Chairman," she grinned at him. "Your secret's safe with me!"

Dragunov turned back to facing the window. He wanted to bask in the sunlight. He wanted to keep himself warm from the frigid cold slowly freezing his heart. He needed her to thaw it…

_The sun really pales in comparison to her warmth. _

Not that he ever compared Leo to the sun before, but as he remembered the warm affection that seeped out from every finger of her hands, the sunlight seemed much frostier.

And the rest of the world seemed as dead as he was.

* * *

Maybe this time, she was going to get it right.

If only she could find him.

Students poured out of the school building like a raging river. Every face had the same expression, and every heart had the same emotion.

_Freedom._

It was the dusk of the final day in school. For the lowerclassmen, it meant freedom. No more waking up early and listening to boring lectures...

But for the senior class, it only meant one thing.

_Good bye._

* * *

"Haaah... Aw cruds!"

Leo was running.

_Step. Step. Leap. Jump. Go!_

She circled the entire school looking for someone. This time, she was desperate. Her little feet and short legs gathered all the vigour in her tiny body and frantically circled the school once more.

"_I'm not giving up! Not this time!..."_

But as each round passed, her legs grew weary and her heart wasn't as strong as it was during the first round.

By the time she passed by the school entrance again, the whole place was drained of the students. The school was empty.

"_...I... I didn't even get to..."_

She sniffed, holding back a cry. But tears welled up in her eyes with the thought that she failed her one last mission before graduating and leaving this small-town high school.

Wiping her tears with her sleeves, she raised her head to the dusky ginger-tinged sky and shut her eyes.

"I LIKE YOU, SERGEI DRAGUNOV!"

Damn her courage to come out at this time. Where was it when she needed it the most? After screaming her heart's contents, she gave out another wail of desperation, "I love you! I'm so stupid!"

She fell down to her knees and cried. _Cry, cry, cry._ "Stupid Leo..."

It took her a few minutes to calm down. Leo got up, her legs still wobbly, and dusted the dirt off her. She took a deep breath and faced her beloved school building again.

"_Ah..."_

Her eyes darted to the roof top, where a certain dark-haired figured stood on guard.

"Ser...gei?"

Leo ran back inside the school building, her heart racing with her feet. She struggled with the exhaustion and pushed herself to reach the top of the building. Her slim legs carried her as swift as they could, but they were ready to give up any moment. She willed herself to keep on going. "Go! **Run!**"

Every step she made was important. She stumbled on the last three steps. Willing herself to stand up and take hold of the doorknob, she screamed, "No! I won't give up now!... **I KNOW THAT THIS IS WORTH IT!**"

The doorknob was warm. It absorbed every ray of the afternoon sun. She was there.

The door swung open.

Dragunov turned around from his nostalgia tripping when he was face-to-face with _her_.

"It... It _is_ you!" Leo felt tears gather in her eyes once again as she spoke. "Ah, right... why the heck am I crying?" she laughed. "I have something to tell you."

This time, she was going to get it right.

"Did... ah, you must've probably heard me screaming and crying down there a while ago, haven't you?" she gave him a nervous smile. He gave her a small nod.

"Well... that was embarrassing," she giggled. That titter of hers never failed to warm him up.

_Warm... up._

Yes. That girl has succeeded in something that no other girl ever dared to do.

* * *

"_She actually got him to warm up to her!" Xiaoyu smiled cheerfully. "Leo actually did it!"_

"_Well, that's good!" Christie laughed. "Looks like little Leo isn't so little anymore."_

"_But you know, you guys," Miss Pigtails interrupted the moment of merriment after saying, "She hasn't even told him about her feelings yet!"_

"_Things will fall into place, Xiao," Christie assured her bubbly-bursting friend. "I know that she'll find the right timing soon."_

* * *

"I don't want to take up much of your time..." Leo said softly. The speed of her heartbeat got amplified all of a sudden. Her legs were ready to give away at any moment. _"Not yet... don't give me away yet..."_

She looked up at him. "I have something to tell you. Well, I already said it a while ago... Lemme just say it again."

This time, she was going to get it right.

Courage. _Courage_. There it was, perched gently on her shoulder. It told her to smile, let go of every other thought in her mind and listen to what her heart has been saying for a very long time now. _A very long time._

"I like you, Sergei!"

Her blue eyes never left contact from his icy blue stare. She only looked up at him and he just looked down at her. Neither said a thing. Neither moved an inch.

It was silly of Leo to actually expect a _response_ from _him_, the stalwart silent student disciplinary committee chairman. _"Heh. Silly me." _

He won't answer. _"Not to me." _It was ridiculous enough to think that he would answer her.

So why did she feel so crushed at that moment? That very moment should have set her free from everything that kept her tied down to this school.

"I... I've always admired your composure," she stuttered. "I've always your strength and your diligence. _I've always liked you._"

She beamed at him. The sincerity and tenderness of her affections emanated from that smile of hers.

And for him, the warmth of the setting sun paled in comparison. _Over and over. _

"Scratch that," she told him with a rueful laugh. "_I love you_, Sergei!"

"..."

"From the start," she looked up at him again with her wide and naive blue eyes. "From the very, very start."

Dragunov still stared back at her. It was his usual reaction to everything that happened everyday at school. She had tripped over her own two feet, accidentally exposed her underwear in front of him, fixed his necktie for him and cleaned his wound. In response to everything was his solid gaze.

She had laughed, cried, smiled and wailed. She just showed him every emotion she had, every expression she could make with her lips and every voice that came out of her mouth.

Now it was his turn.

He took a step closer to her and tipped her chin to face him. He wordlessly took her slim wrist in his hand and lifted her palm to his lips. Her slender fingers brushed over his scar, caressing his lips. Tears filled her eyes as he placed her palm flat on his chest, right above his heart.

"S-Sergei..." Leo whimpered. The thumping she was hearing and feeling against her palm was just _too good_ to be true. "Th-This isn't happening now, is it?..."

Dragunov drew her closer to him, step by step, inch by inch, little by little, until they were merely a breath apart. He wrapped his long arms around her lithe figure. She didn't squirm or pull apart from him. She didn't have the strength to do it. He immersed himself in her warmth; pleasant, soothing and calming. His heartbeat slowed down as he drew in a breath, inhaling the pleasant and familiar scent of bluebells swirling around them.

As his heart calmed down, hers began to race for its life.

"Uh, S-Sergei..." Leo squeaked against his chest. "Y-You do know what you're doing to me, right?"

No respond.

"Sergeiiiiii?..." Leo wailed weakly. She looked up from his chest and swore that she saw the corners of his lips gently curve up.

He leaned down even _closer _to her, until the tips of their noses touched.

"_I'm gonna melt I'm gonna melt I'm gonna melt‒"_

He whispered something in her ear. It was as soft as a kitten's breath and gentle as the sun's first caress on her skin at morning.

_Ya tebya lyublyu. Hachu, chtoby ty byla moyey._

"Ehh...?"

_I love you. I want you to be mine. _

She had to admit, hearing him whisper those words to her...

Leo laughed. As she closed her eyes, warm tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can die now, thank you."

She smoothly pulled away from him. He held her face in his hands and wiped away her tears. Not a moment later, he was pulling her near again; just when her heart was finally settled.

"Ah... Sergei..." she mumbled against his chest, obviously defeated. "You really have no idea what you do to me now, do you?..."

Dragunov didn't respond again, although he could feel her heart in hysterics again. All he could do in reply was brush a soft and pleasingly warm kiss on her forehead. Perhaps that could calm her down. Leo sighed in defeat and relief. She just gathered enough might to wrap her arms around his neck.

"_I knew that it was worth it."_

It looks like she finally got it right this time.


End file.
